


Tattoo My Skin With Your Fingertips (And Leave Your Mark On Me)

by ddamaged, Wayhaught_is_my_therapy



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Basketball Player Nicole Haught, Bisexual Waverly Earp, Cheerleader Waverly Earp, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, First Time, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gay Panic, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Mutual Pining, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:35:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 50,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28419201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddamaged/pseuds/ddamaged, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wayhaught_is_my_therapy/pseuds/Wayhaught_is_my_therapy
Summary: At 16 years old, you can drive. At 19 years old, you can drink. At 18 years old, your soulmate is revealed to you, tattooed on your skin, letter by letter. Nicole and Waverly have learned many things in life and school, but something they never learned is how to react when the ink on your skin appears and it’s the person you should hate the most in this world.
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp/Doc Holliday
Comments: 287
Kudos: 594





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Welcome to our new fic, it's going to be one hell of a ride so we hope you guys enjoy :)

“Here goes nothing, Haught,” Nicole swings open the door to the school and walks inside. She lets out the breath she was holding when she sees that no one seems to stop their everyday lives on account of her presence. She just wants to blend in if at all possible. As soon as that thought leaves her head, a small body collides with her own. She hears the sound of books crashing to the floor and she immediately wraps her arms around the person’s lower back to steady both herself and the other person so they don’t fall.

“Oh fudge-nuggets,” the redhead hears a feminine voice say. When they both seem steady, Nicole releases the smaller girl and takes a step back. When she does, her breath hitches.

_‘Maybe transferring to a new school wasn’t such a bad idea after all’,_ Nicole thinks as the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes she’s even seen meet her own.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going,” the mystery brunette says before dropping to her knees so she can collect her books from the floor. Nicole immediately does the same because, well, she has manners.

“It’s no problem. I’m okay, but I can’t say the same about your books,” Nicole grabs a few of the books from the floor and her smile widens when she reads the spine of one of them. “ _You keep telling me to be glad for what we had while we had it. That the brightest flames burn quickest. Which means you saw us as a candle. And I saw us as the sun_ ,” the redhead quotes her favorite poem from the book she’s holding in her hands.

“ _The Forgotten Star._ That one really stood out to me. You read a lot of poetry?” The brunette smiles, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Nicole’s chest warms at the sight. When she realizes the brunette is waiting on her to answer, she snaps out of her trance and nods her head.

“I do and _I Wrote This For You_ happens to be one of my favorite poetry books actually,” Nicole extends the book to it’s owner and when she takes it, the redhead keeps her hand extended. She really wants to know the name of the girl whose eyes turn into tiny crescent moons when she smiles. “Nicole,” the redhead watches fondly as the hazel-eyed girl shifts all her books to prop on her left arm so she can extend her right.

“Waverly,” the brunette shakes the awaiting hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Nicole.”

“You too, Waverly,” the redhead tries the name out on her tongue.

“I, uh, should be getting to the office now. Thank you for helping me pick up everything even after I practically tackled you,” Waverly hugs her books to her chest.

“You can tackle me anytime,” Nicole replies before she can stop herself. The brunette just blushes and looks down.

“See you around, Nicole,” the hazel-eyed girl offers the redhead a bright smile before making her way to the office. She tries to will the blush to go away as she opens the wooden door to the front office. “I got your email. New senior?” The brunette places her books down on the office counter.

“Mmhmm and she’s pretty easy on the eyes too,” the secretary replies.

“Mercedes!” Waverly pinches the bridge of her nose. Mercedes Gardner is not only Waverly’s sister’s best friend, but also her high school secretary. The woman recruited her to be on the ‘welcoming committee’ because Mercedes insisted it would look good on her resume. However, she’s the only one on the committee that welcomes seniors. Purgatory High doesn’t get many new seniors anyway, so Waverly doesn’t have to do this often. She’s just starting her senior year and this new student will be her third to welcome to the school. “How easy are we talking? Are they brown? I love brown eyes.”

“Oh, you’ll see soon enough,” the secretary looks past Waverly and seconds later, the door to the office opens. Waverly spins around and comes face to face with the redhead from the hallway.

“Hey, again,” Nicole smiles, her dimples on full display.

“Oh, you two have met?” Mercedes asks and Waverly turns around to look at her, her eyes pleading for the secretary not to embarrass her.

“We ran into each other in the hallway,” Nicole hooks her thumb back toward the door.

“Quite literally,” Waverly chimes in with a chuckle.

“So I think I was promised a welcoming committee to show me around,” the redhead tucks her hands into the front pockets of her leather jacket.

“That would be me. You’re looking at the president of the Purgatory High welcoming committee. I only show the new seniors around,” Waverly tosses some hair over her shoulder and Nicole laughs. When a bell rings, the brunette looks at her watch. “Well that’s our cue to get started. Don’t want to make you too late for classes on your first day,” Waverly turns back around to face the secretary. “I’ll be back by to get my books later.”

“Have fun,” Mercedes offers the brunette a wink and Waverly just rolls her eyes playfully. When Waverly turns around, she sees Nicole holding the door open with her back. She walks through it and thanks her.

“So do you tackle all the new students? Is that like part of the welcome or am I just special?” The redhead speaks up as they make their way down the hallway. Waverly just playfully pushes her and starts reading off her schedule. They spend the next half hour walking around the school. Waverly makes sure she shows her all the classrooms she will be having classes in and gives the inside scoop on all the teachers.

“What brings you to Purgatory?” Waverly asks as she walks the redhead back to her first class of the morning.

“My, uh, dad and I wanted a fresh start from the big city,” Nicole scratches the back of her neck and Waverly notices that this is a sore subject for the redhead, so she doesn’t ask any more about the move.

The brunette just nods as they come to a stop outside of a classroom. Before she can speak up, a voice rings through the hallway.

“Earp! You coming to class or not?” Waverly looks down the hallway and sees her friend Chrissy standing by the water fountain.

“I’ll be there in a minute, Chris!” The brunette calls back and Chrissy just nods her head and walks back down the hallway.

“Earp?” Nicole’s voice cracks and Waverly turns her attention back to the redhead.

“Yep! That’s my last name,” Waverly’s bright smile fades when she sees that the warm brown eyes, that she kept finding herself getting lost in, have turned cold.

“Un-fucking-believable,” Nicole whispers before opening the classroom door. She walks in without giving Waverly another glance. The brunette just stands frozen in the hallway outside of the classroom. She replays their conversation in her head wondering what it was that she said that offended Nicole.

“Well that went well,” Waverly huffs as she heads back to the office. The rest of the day is a long one for both of the seniors. The brunette can’t help but worry she failed at properly welcoming the redhead to the school and Nicole can’t wrap her head around the fact that the crescent eyed beauty is none other than an Earp.

As soon as the final bell rings, Nicole jumps up from her desk and heads to her locker. She retrieves her helmet from it and stuffs her backpack into it. She digs in her jacket pocket and retrieves her keys. She wanted this place to be different. She thought it would be a fresh start, but boy was she wrong. As soon as she shoves open the door and steps out in the sun she lets out a sigh.

“Free at last… until tomorrow,” the redhead whispers as she makes her way over to her motorcycle. She straddles her bike and cranks it up. When she looks up, she sees Waverly Earp making her way to a blue and white truck. Sitting on the hood of the pick-up truck is a brunette. When Waverly gets to the vehicle, Nicole watches as the girl slides off the hood of the truck and walks to the driver’s side of it. It’s then that the redhead gets a good look at the woman. When she does, her blood runs cold. The next few moments are a blur and before she can stop herself, she’s standing beside the old truck. The redhead vaguely hears Waverly say her name, but she doesn’t acknowledge her.

“Wynonna. Earp.” Nicole speaks up, the name tasting like poison on her tongue.

“Who’s asking?” The brunette spins around and when she does, the redhead connects her fist with the older Earp’s face.

“Nicole!” Waverly screams, but once again Nicole tunes her out.

“What the fuck, dude? What's your deal?” Wynonna shouts as her hand cups her cheek. 

“Haught.” The redhead spits.

“What does the weather have to do with anything?” The older Earp asks.

“My last name is Haught,” the redhead clenches her jaw and storms off back toward her bike. Wynonna slides in the driver’s side of the pick-up without saying another word and Waverly does the same. Both Earps sit in silence for a few minutes before Waverly breaks it.

“Haught… as in…” Waverly tries to find the right words to say.

“Yeah,” Wynonna answers. “She looks just like her mom.”

* * *

_“Willa this is a terrible idea. We’re gonna get caught,” Wynonna whispered harshly. Willa had just got done picking the lock to the back of the small mini mart on the outside of the big city._

_“Do you want food for the week or not, Wy? Because unless you found a steady paying job at the age of 15, we can’t really do much here, can we?” Willa snapped as she opened the door._

_Wynonna followed her older sister into the closed grocery store with her burlap bags in hand. They had gotten pretty used to this routine. Willa got them into places and kept a lookout while Wynonna filled the few bags with as much food as they could hold._

_Things hadn’t been easy for them growing up. Their parents abandoned them years back, leaving Willa, who was the oldest by two years, in charge of the household. She could be a little harsh at times, but Wynonna just chalked it up to the stress of basically providing for a family for the last few years._

_Wynonna was a little more open minded. She knew things wouldn’t be like this forever. Soon she would be old enough to get a job, and she could help Willa work and support the house._

_Then there was Waverly. She was only 11, but she was easily the smartest of the family unit. She was going to go places, Wynonna knew it, even if she had a feeling Willa resented her for it. Waverly was the only thing that really kept Wynonna going at this point. She had Willa, sure, but Waverly was her light, and she would do anything to protect her. Even if that meant breaking into stores across town once a week, she would do it._

_There was also Doc, a family friend of the Earps. He was a year older than Wynonna but he always felt like he was much older. He had been there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on and she didn’t feel like she could burden her sisters with it. She had a feeling when it came down to it, her 18th birthday was going to reveal a ‘Holliday’ tattoo somewhere._

_“How’s it going over there?” Willa yelled quietly from across the room. Wynonna had just finished putting the last of the essentials in her bag and was ready to head back to the Homestead for the night._

_“It’s good, I just got the rest of it, let’s go.”_

_“Oh, no ya don’t,” they heard from behind them. The two girls startled and turned to the front of the store, coming face to face with a female police officer. She was in a dark blue polo and black slacks with a utility belt attached. She kept her gun trained in front of her face for safety, but uncocked to show there was no danger._

_Wynonna cursed herself quietly, quickly putting her hands above her head and in the air. “I thought you were keeping a lookout,” she hissed in Willa’s direction._

_“Yeah, well I didn’t see her,” Willa retorted, standing her ground and not moving._

_The officer looked back and forth between the two, trying to determine the threat level of the children. When she came to the conclusion that there was none, she holstered her weapon and dropped her hands to her hips. “What are you guys doing? You saw the ‘closed’ sign on the door, right?” she smirked._

_Wynonna looked back at the red headed police officer, squinting to try to get a look at her name plate on her breast. The woman saw this and chuckled. “It says ‘Haught’ by the way. In case you were having trouble.”_

_Wynonna nodded. She seemed nice enough, maybe she could just let them go and put it off as a misunderstanding? Wynonna was good at talking her way out of things, maybe she could just throw in her 15 year old charm that worked on her teachers in school._

_“Look officer Haught, we didn’t mean any harm we swear. We’re just trying to feed our family,” Wynonna pleaded._

_The officer looked the girl up and down with sympathy in her eyes, completely forgetting about Willa’s presence since she hadn’t been speaking much. She nodded her head, but nonetheless came to a conclusion. “As admirable as I think you are, babygirl, I have to report it. It’s my job.”_

_Wynonna hung her head, realizing there was no easy way out of this situation. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a quick movement and looked up to see Willa pulling a gun out of her waist band and aiming it at the officer. Her eyes bulged, her face matching that of the now cornered officer._

_“Willa! What the fuck are you doing??” Wynonna sputtered. She looked back at the woman who was slowly raising up her hands in surrender with a far off look in her eyes._

_“Wynonna, it’s time you found out the way the world really works,” she chided. She pulled back the hammer of the gun and aimed it at the woman’s chest._

_“You don’t have to do this,” the officer shook her head slowly, “Just put the gun down and we can work all this out.”_

_Wynonna looked back and forth between the worried officer and her stoic sister. “Put the gun down, Willa, please. It’s not worth it,” she pleaded._

_“Do you really think she’s just going to let us walk out of here, Wy? She’s going to put us away, put us in a system. Then who’s going to take care of Waverly huh? Doc?” Willa barked._

_Wynonna’s head was spinning. Things were all happening so fast. All she wanted was to be in bed with Waverly right now reading her a story before she fell asleep, but instead she was here with her sister, holding a cop at gunpoint._

_“Waverly?” Officer Haught questioned to Wynonna._

_“Yeah, Waverly. That’s our little sister. She’s 11,” Wynonna answered._

_The officer nodded her head slowly, a small smile forming on her face. “I have a daughter, you know. She’s twelve. She’s a little spitfire, but she has good intentions, like I’m sure you guys do too,” she smiled, slowly lowering one of her hands down to reach into her jacket pocket._

_Wynonna assumed she was reaching for a picture or a phone to show them, but before she knew it she heard a shot ring out around her. She stared, wide eyed, as the woman’s face contorted in pain and then turned blank as she sank to the floor. She whipped around to look at her sister, whose face was cold as she held a smoking gun._

_“Willa!” Wynonna shrieked, running over to the police officer and kneeling beside her on the ground. She looked at the ground where her hand was now resting with a phone in it, the screen turned on to reveal the officer, a man, and a little girl in their arms that looked about Waverly’s age._

_She slowly turned herself around to look up at Willa, who was now towered over her to look at the body. Finally a look of fear started to register as she realized what she had done._

_“What did I just do,” Willa whispered, dropping the gun to the ground. She sank to her knees beside Wynonna and stared at the woman gasping on the ground. She watched as the officer’s blood began to seep into the linoleum on the floor._

_In the distance Wynonna could hear sirens. She knew they were for them, and she only had a few seconds to think. “You need to go,” Wynonna looked up, her words not registering in her own brain._

_“What?” Willa asked in shock._

_“You need to go,” Wynonna repeated. “They’ll be after you, they’ll lock you up. You’re the oldest, you have the best chance of looking after Waverly. GO!” Wynonna yelled, tears streaming down her face._

_Willa didn’t question her any further. She picked up the gun and ran out the back of the store, running into the hills that appeared behind it._

_Wynonna stared at the door her sister just ran through, trying to gather her thoughts and stay calm. She felt something tug on her shirt, and when she looked down she was met with watering eyes._

_“I’m so sorry,” Wynonna breathed out, trying to keep her tears at bay._

_The older woman shook her head as best as she could, but she was slowly slipping out of consciousness. “No… don’t be sorry. You’re a good sister,” she panted. “You take care of others… I can tell. But now I need you… to take care of one last thing for me.”_

_“Name it, anything,” Wynonna rushed, shaking her head and blinking the tears from her eyes._

_The officer gasped loudly, attempting to take in as much oxygen as possible. “I need you… I need you to find my daughter. I need you to tell her not to be angry. She can be a hothead, ironically. And the last thing she needs is to have that vengeance in her heart,” she whispered._

_Wynonna shook her head in confusion, “I don’t know how to find people, I don’t even know her name.”_

_The woman gasped for breath again, clearly trying to keep her focus, but it was no use. “Nic-...” she trailed off. Her head lolled back against the tile and her hand lost its grip in Wynonna’s shirt._

_Wynonna looked down again at the body, the woman’s eyes staring up at her unblinking. With shaky hands Wynonna closed her eyelids and sighed. She had no idea what to do, but she knew she couldn’t stay there._

_She picked herself up off the floor and ran out of the back door, looking around at her surroundings. Willa was already nowhere to be seen. She pulled out her phone and dialed the only person she could think to call._

_“Hello?” said a gruff voice on the other line._

_“Doc,” Wynonna whispered, chastising herself for sounding so weak._

_“What’s the matter, Wynonna. Is everything alright?” he said hesitantly._

_“I need you to come get me. There was an accident and Willa used the gun and there’s a body and sirens and-”_

_“Woah now, woah now, hush darlin’. It’ll all be okay. I’m on my way now and I’ll come get you.”_

_“What about Waverly?”_

_There was rustling on the other end that sounded like the phone being switched to the opposite ear. “She’s in bed for the night, she’ll be fine for an hour, don’t worry. Get as far as you can and hide. I’ll be there soon.”_

_Wynonna heard the line go dead and her heart clenched. How could things have gotten so out of hand so quickly? This was all her fault. If she had just been a little faster none of this would be happening._

_About 20 minutes later she was down the street, watching from behind another building as cops roamed the area and sealed it off with yellow tape. There were men taking pictures, men taking notes, and some making phone calls. She heard the familiar sound of Doc’s Cadillac pulling up from nearby and ran towards it, hoping to God none of the officers turned their heads and saw her._

_She pulled open the passenger side door and sat down, slumping in the seat and forcing herself not to cry. She didn’t know how they were supposed to get by now. Willa was the only one bringing in some form of a paycheck; even though it was small, it was still better than nothing. Doc had been trying to find a job, but hadn’t had very much luck since he had just turned 16._

_“What happened, Wynonna?” Doc questioned quietly from his spot in the driver's seat as they turned in the direction of the homestead._

_Wynonna began to explain the events that had just occurred, looking every now and then to see if she could see any judgment in his eyes, but all she could see was sympathy._

_“So then I told her to run and I panicked; then I ran too,” she finished, resting her forehead against the glass of the window._

_Doc pulled the car into the driveway and turned off the engine, looking back at the younger girl whose eyes were full of fear. “None of this is your fault,” he whispered, moving his hand to cup her cheek. She pushed it away and got out of the car. The last thing she needed right now was his pity._

_“I don’t need your pity, Doc, I need to figure out what to tell Waverly,” she snapped._

_“Tell her the truth,” he reasoned. “That Willa got trigger happy and you did the best you could with what you were given.”_

_Wynonna shook her head as she walked into the house, taking her shoes off and heading toward the couch to sit down. “My prints are everywhere Doc. Willa didn’t touch a damn thing, I did. They’re gonna come for me, and if Waverly knows I didn’t do it she’e going to fight like hell for me and she’s too young for that. She can’t know Willa did it. It has to be me.”_

_Doc sat down beside her and looked at her in confusion. “What are you saying? Are you saying you’re going to tell her that you shot that officer?” he questioned, putting an arm around her shoulder and drawing her to his side._

_Wynonna curled into his side and exhaled. “I’m saying, I’m going to tell her what I need to tell her in order for this to be as painless as possible. Even if it means I have to keep the truth from her.”_

_Doc shook his head, “She’s not going to like that.”_

_Wynonna sighed, throwing an arm around his waist and melting into him, moments away from letting sleep overtake her. “I know.”_

_In the morning Wynonna woke with a start, gasping and panting as she tried to get the nightmare to leave her mind. It had been a few hours since the shooting and she knew she was running out of time. She had to talk to Waverly before they came for her._

_Wynonna got off of the couch and looked down at the boy that was lying with her. A boy that she was about to ask a lot of, and that she knew he would do it in a heartbeat with no questions asked. She walked across the living room and up the stairs to the little girls room, slowly pushing open the door. Waverly was lying in bed holding a stuffed rabbit in her arms and snoring softly._

_Wynonna walked over to the bed and sat down on the end of it, tucking a stray piece of hair away from Waverly’s face and placing a kiss to her forehead. She felt the younger girl stir underneath her and she sighed, ready to have the conversation she was dreading._

_“‘Nonna?” said the groggy, sleep ladened voice from below the covers._

_“Hey babygirl,” Wynonna whispered, stroking her hair._

_Waverly sat up and tried to get her waking brain to function, Wynonna never woke up this early. “What are you doing?”_

_Wynonna shifted, taking the girls hands in her own before looking up at her. “I don’t have very much time to explain, so Doc is going to tell you everything later in better detail.” she started._

_Waverly had a panicked look come over her face, she could tell the seriousness of the conversation based off of Wynonna’s tone. “What’s going on?”_

_Wynonna shook her head and squeezed her hands before letting them go. “Willa’s gone. She ran off.”_

_“Why?” Waverly asked._

_“I don’t know. I’m guessing things just got too hard for her with daddy being gone and she couldn’t take it anymore. But that’s not all.”_

_“Okay…?”_

_Wynonna exhaled, forcing the words she knew she wouldn’t be able to take back out of her mouth. “I’m going to have to go away for awhile. I did some bad things last night that I need to do the time for.”_

_Waverly sat up straight with a wild look in her eyes. “Wynonna, what are you talking about? What did you do? You can’t leave me, not you too,” Waverly begged._

_Wynonna shook her head vigorously and took Waverly’s hands in her own again. “No no no, I’m not leaving you. I’m just going away for a while. I’ll be back, I promise. Doc will be here, and he’ll take care of you while I’m gone.”_

_Wynonna went to get up, but Waverly clung to her in fear. She could hear what sounded like a pounding sound come from downstairs and she knew immediately it was time. She heard Doc open the door and exchange some words with some men, as well as footsteps walking into the house._

_Waverly looked up at her with wide eyes and Wynonna smiled down at her, trying to convey a calm energy for the girl to let her know that everything was going to be alright, even if she didn’t believe it herself._

_The door to the bedroom was pushed open to reveal two men in police uniforms, one with handcuffs in his hands. “Wynonna Earp?” one man asked._

_Wynonna nodded her head and stood up, turning her back to the men with her hands held behind in compliance. Waverly shook her head fervently and moved to a kneeling position on the bed, trying to plead with the men to not take her sister away from her._

_“You are under arrest for the murder of officer Marie Haught,” they spoke before clasping the cuffs around her wrists. They continued to speak her rights as they walked her down the stairs, a sobbing Waverly chasing after them before Doc caught her around the waist to keep her still. She continued to scream and shout even after the officers had left the house and closed the door, putting Wynonna in the back seat and driving off. Waverly sat there in shock, trying to understand what was happening as Doc kneeled down and held her, whispering comforts in her ear as she clung to him._

* * *

“18 months wasn’t long enough,” Wynonna whispers, and Waverly turns to face her sister, having heard her mumble something under her breath.

“What?” The youngest Earp replies.

“18 months of jail time wasn’t long enough for what we did,” the oldest Earp tears her eyes away from the road and looks into sympathetic hazel eyes.

“Nonna, you were just a scared kid. You served your time. 18 months, 3 weeks, and 4 days to be exact. Not to mention house arrest until you were 18,” the youngest brunette tries to reason with her sister. 

“You and I both know I got off easy because Sheriff Nedley is a family friend,” Wynonna’s hands grip the steering wheel tightly.

“Who you are is not what you did, Nonna. You’ve grown up and you bust your butt every single day at Shorty’s so you can provide for us. You’re a superhero,” Waverly pries one of her sister’s hands from the steering wheel and intertwines it with her own. Wynonna squeezes the tan hand in hers and lets their hands fall to her lap.

“I’m no hero, babygirl. But every day I try so fucking hard to be a better person,” the oldest Earp raises their hands and places a kiss to the back of her sister’s palm. “For you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! We hope you’re liking this story so far, we update every Tuesday so be prepared :)

“Free at last… until lunch is over at least.” Nicole whispers to herself as she pushes the school doors open. The redhead has always preferred to not eat in cafeterias, so on her first day, she made sure to find a secluded spot outside where she could eat lunch. When she rounds a corner outside of the brick building, she comes face to face with a group of jocks. She recognizes one of them from her English class.

 _“Chump? Is that his name?”_ The redhead thinks as the letterman jacket wearing ‘boy-man’ and his posse walk in her direction.

“Just the dyke I was hoping to run into.” The sandy-haired boy speaks up first and Nicole rolls her eyes. She tries to side step the boys, but they block her path and form a circle around her. “I didn’t appreciate that little remark you made when you saw me kissing my girl Steph earlier today.”

“Remark? Oh! You mean the scoff and the eye-roll when I saw you two sucking faces in front of my locker at 8 fucking AM this morning?” Nicole retorts and Champ’s face turns red.

“You jealous because you want to fuck my girl?” Champ walks closer until Nicole can smell his bad breath after every word.

“Brunettes are more my type, so hard pass,” she spits. The redhead tries to leave the circle again, but the boys don’t budge.

“Did you hear that boys? She actually admitted out loud that she’s a fag. Fucking gross.” The boy-man replies and Nicole turns around and shoves him. Not her best move considering she’s vastly outnumbered, but she doesn’t care. There’s nothing she hates more than homophobic, entitled pricks. “You’re gonna fucking regret that.” Champ takes a swing at her face and his fist connects with her cheek bone. Before she can get a punch in, she feels strong arms wrap around her waist, effectively pinning her arms to her side.

“Get the fuck off me!” The redhead screams and thrashes around, trying her hardest to get free from the jock’s grip. “This isn’t a fair fight and you fucking know it you piece of shit!” Champ just laughs and slams his fist into her stomach. Her knees go weak, but the boy’s grip around her waist keeps her upright.

Meanwhile, Waverly makes her way through the cafeteria with her lunch box in tow. There’s a vegan sandwich in it that has been calling her name all day long.

“So everyone's talking about the ‘punch heard around the world’ that happened yesterday. Wanna tell us what that was all about? How does your sister even know the new girl?” Chrissy asks Waverly as soon as she sets her lunch box on the cafeteria table.

“They’ve just, uh, had some bad blood for awhile. Met a few years ago when Wynonna went to the big city for a weekend.” Waverly lies through her teeth. She prays they won’t inquire about the punch any more. “You know, ‘Nonna. She has enemies on every corner of the Ghost River Triangle.”

Chrissy just shrugs and starts eating her cafeteria food. Waverly cringes at the sight of the poor excuse of a slice of pizza that the blonde just took a bite of. The brunette retrieves her vegan sandwich from her lunch box and frees it from it’s sandwich box. Before she can even take a bite of it, she hisses in pain and drops her sandwich when a sharp pain shoots through her side.

“Fudge-nuggets.” Waverly grips her side, the vegan sandwich no longer her priority at the moment. When a burning sensation and another sharp pain shoots through her ribcage, she excuses herself from the table and walks out the cafeteria doors to get some air. As soon as she pushes the school doors open, she collapses against the brick wall of the school. The brunette pulls up her shirt to examine her side, but she doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary there.

“I’m going to kill you!” The brunette hears a girl's voice scream and she drops her shirt down. When she walks around the corner, she sees a group of boys beating someone up.

“Hey!” The brunette screams as she quickly makes her way over to the circle. If there’s one thing Waverly can’t stand, it’s a bully. When no one seems to stop what they are doing, she pushes her way through the circle until she’s standing in the middle with Champ and Nicole. The brunette’s eyes widen when she sees a bloody faced Nicole being held by a jock. When she sees Champ raise his fist, her body reacts before her brain can and she throws herself in between the two of them. She closes her eyes and braces for the hit, but it never comes.

“Move, Waverly! We’re teaching this dyke a lesson!” The jock screams out and the brunette swears steam has to be coming out of her ears at this point.

“Champ Hardy, you do _not_ want to mess with me.” The fiery brunette points her finger in his face. “I bet Coach Dolls would just love to know what you were doing at lunch today. You know, he’s a family friend of mine. Would be a shame if you couldn’t start in Friday night’s football game.” Waverly crosses her arms across her chest.

“Someone really needs to remove that stick from your ass.” Champ walks forward with a smirk on his face. “I could do it for you, you know.” When the brunette sees that the boy is reaching out to touch her in some inappropriate manner, she immediately slaps his meaty hands away.

“Don’t you _dare_ touch me or I’ll do you one better and call Sheriff Nedley right after I call Coach Dolls.” Waverly narrows her eyes at the boy and he raises his hands in defeat. “Now you shit-tickets get back to class. If I ever hear any of you being raging homophobes again or if you even look at Nicole the wrong way, I’ll make sure none of you start for the rest of the season. Got it?” All the jocks mumble profanities under their breath as they walk away from the two girls. As soon as the one that was holding Nicole releases his grip, the redhead falls to the ground.

Waverly’s heart clenches when she sees blood drip onto the pavement. She quickly hits her knees beside the redhead and places a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? I can help you get to a nurse if you-”

Before the brunette can finish her sentence, Nicole jerks away from her and wipes some blood away from her face with her shirtsleeve. “Don’t fucking touch me.” The redhead grimaces as she slowly stands to her feet. Waverly pulls her hand away like something just burned it.

“Nicole, please let me help you.” The brunette stands up as well and takes a step toward the injured redhead.

“I don’t want your help. Or your pity. Don’t follow me.” Nicole storms off in the opposite direction. Waverly sighs in defeat and watches helplessly as the redhead walks away. Nicole walks to the tree she scouted out the first day and leans her back against it. She feels a few drops of rain fall on her as she slowly slides down the tree until she’s sitting. When her ripped jeans touch soft green grass, she releases a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. “Fucking Purgatory.” The redhead huffs as she tilts her head back against the tree to try and stop her nose from bleeding.

She doesn’t know how much time passes and she doesn’t really care. She doesn’t want to give the jocks the satisfaction of watching her walk around with a bloody shirt and beat-up face all day, so she skips her classes for the rest of the day. The redhead tells herself it’s Champ she wants to avoid the most, but really, deep down, she knows that she’s hiding from the fiery brunette that just used her small body as a shield so Nicole didn’t have to endure another punch. She knows that if she looks into sympathetic hazel eyes one more time today, the walls she’s put up may start crumbling.

* * *

The bell rings for the end of the day and everyone scatters through the halls and out the school doors, ready to go home for the day. Nicole slowly stands from her spot under the tree and walks inside and up to her locker, grabbing her helmet and the books she needs for the night. She catches Champ shooting her a dirty look from across the hall and flips him off over her shoulder as she exits the building. 

It’s still cloudy outside, and the sprinkling from earlier has now turned into a subtle downpour. Nicole zips up her leather jacket and puts on her helmet, silently cursing the fact that she has to ride in the rain. She doesn’t mind it, in fact, some days she enjoys it, but she does hate the way the leather clings to her skin once she gets home. 

Nicole sits on her bike and props up the kickstand, twisting the key and revving the engine. She takes off out of the school parking lot, watching some heads turn her way as she passes them. She’s gotten used to some of the weird looks she gets now, being the new girl in a small town and all. The dried blood and slightly bruised skin on her face doesn’t help much with the staring either.

She takes the route she usually takes in order to get to her spot. Even though it’s raining, she still doesn’t want to go straight home. She never wants to go straight home. Plus, she doesn’t have work today, so maybe she can just use her tree to keep as much rain away from her as possible and do some homework. It’s kind of Nicole’s thing, finding trees to hide out under everywhere she goes. 

As she’s driving, she spots what looks like someone walking on the side of the road, pulling a flimsy excuse for a jacket around their small frame. She starts to slow her bike, concerned that someone is walking in the rain in the middle of nowhere. As she gets closer, she starts to recognize some features of the person and quickly pieces together who the mystery girl is. 

“What exactly are you doing?” Nicole asks her in confusion as she pulls up beside the brunette.

Waverly looks over at the red head who has slowed her bike to match her pace. “Uh, walking?” she deadpans. 

Nicole rolls her eyes. Of course she was going to make this difficult. Nicole stops her bike, ultimately stopping Waverly’s walking as well. Waverly gives Nicole a curious look as she takes her helmet off and holds it out to the brunette. Waverly notices the dried blood on her face and winces, replaying the events from earlier in her head. 

Nicole looks at her expectantly, holding the black motorcycle helmet in her outstretched hand. 

“What am I supposed to do with that?” Waverly asks, still trading glances between the helmet and its owner. 

“Uh, wear it?” Nicole matches the brunette’s previous tone, a smirk present on her face. As much as she may hate the Earps, she’s not a heartless person. Waverly was literally shaking and clutching a soaking wet jacket to her body. She could at least give her a ride this one time. 

Waverly looks at her skeptically. “And do what?”

Nicole just flashes her a dimpled smile, hoping maybe that would be enough to convince her. Seeing the brunette this way has made all her anger from earlier fade. “And get on the bike so you don’t have to walk home.”

Waverly scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the taller girl. Nicole immediately drops her arm that’s holding the helmet back to her side. “A few hours ago you were getting pissed at me for helping you, and what, now you want to offer me a ride home?” Waverly challenges.

Nicole lets out a long sigh, using her other hand to comb through her hair. “Look, I was an asshole earlier. I’m sure you know why, but I don’t feel like arguing right now. It’s cold and rainy and you look like any minute you’re going to get hypothermia or something. Please just let me take you home.”

Waverly takes a look at her, and as much as she wants to believe Nicole has an ulterior motive or something malicious up her sleeve, she can see the sincerity in her eyes. Waverly lets out a breath and grabs the helmet from Nicole, earning a small smile at the action. Waverly rolls her eyes and puts on the helmet, with only a little bit of difficulty. 

Nicole starts to remove her jacket, receiving another confused look from the brunette. She holds the jacket out to her as well. 

“Oh no, it’s fine. I’ll be okay, I have this,” Waverly says, making a show of grabbing her jacket.

Nicole scoffs, “That thing is like the weight of a sheet, and it’s already soaked. Seriously, take it. I’ll be fine for the drive.”

Waverly slowly reaches out for the leather, her fingers brushing with the other girls. A small blush spreads across the brunette’s cheeks, but she can’t figure out why. She glances down at the redhead's arm, more specifically her wrist, and notices the name “Gibson” tattooed on her skin right underneath a tattoo of a willow tree. The artwork is beautiful, and Waverly can’t help but want to know more about it. And the girl the art is tattooed on.

Before she can do something stupid like ask about it, she shrugs on the large jacket and walks closer to the bike. She looks at it for a minute, trying to decide the best and safest way to get on.

“Here,” Nicole starts, grabbing Waverly’s hand and putting it on her own shoulder. The redhead feels electricity in her fingertips, but chooses to ignore it. That isn’t something she wants to think about at the moment. “Put your hand here, and push. Use that leverage to help bring your body across the seat to straddle it.”

Waverly nods her head, doing as Nicole just told her, and straddles the back of the bike. She knew she would have to be close to the girl sitting in front of her, but she didn’t realize just how close. Her front is pressed against Nicole’s back, her hands lying awkwardly on the taller girl's shoulders. 

“I would wrap your arms around my waist if I were you. It’ll make it easier to move your body with mine when we turn,” Nicole advises. The redhead can feel her breathing getting more shallow as she feels the smaller girl's arms wrap around her torso. She isn’t sure why though, she’s never felt this way with anyone else that has ridden with her before. 

Waverly inhales deeply, trying to relax herself. She’s never been on a motorcycle before, and she’s doing her best to not let her fear show. 

“Ready?” Nicole asks from in front of her. The brunette can feel the words rumble in her chest from where it’s pressed against Nicole’s back.

Waverly nods, resting her head in between the redhead’s shoulder blades. She feels the engine turn on and the bike begin to move. She feels every jolt and bump they pass over, but she doesn’t hate it. As much as it feels weird, it also feels kind of nice. It feels freeing, despite the rain pouring down around them. She can’t help but wonder what it would feel like without the rain, and with the sun shining around them. She dismisses the thought as soon as it comes, not allowing herself to get lost in some fantasy. 

Waverly gives her directions to the homestead, pointing to different roads every few minutes or so. When they finally pull up, she lets out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. 

Nicole turns around a little to help her get off easier. Once her feet hit the ground, she can feel her legs wobble a little. Nicole chuckles and Waverly shoots her a look. Nicole raises her hands in surrender, “That happens, especially on someone’s first time riding. You get used to it.”

“How do you know it’s my first time?” Waverly challenges, taking off the helmet and jacket and handing them back to Nicole. 

“Because, I can just tell. I’ve been doing this for a while,” Nicole answers. 

“Taking pretty girls for rides on your bike?” Waverly jokes.

Nicole laughs, “No, reading people,” she says seriously. She waits until she notices Waverly about to apologise for the joke before continuing. “And taking pretty girls for rides on my bike,” she finishes with a smirk.

Waverly nods and huffs out a laugh, not quite sure how to end their interaction or respond. She knows this doesn’t make them friends, and she also knows that Nicole probably doesn’t even want to be considered acquaintances. “So…” Waverly starts. “Thanks for the ride. I hope it wasn’t too far out of your way or anything. I know this is kind of the middle of nowhere,” she laughs awkwardly. 

Nicole nods, putting on her jacket and helmet before starting up her bike again. “You’d be surprised actually. This is a lot closer to where I was going than I expected.”

Waverly nods her head, wringing her hands out in front of her body and looking around the land. “Well, still, thank you.”

“No problem. Besides, I kind of owed you for earlier today anyways,” Nicole admits. 

Waverly smiles up at her. Maybe this was a start. A rough start, but a start nonetheless. “It’s no problem,” Waverly whispers.

Nicole smiles, shooting a quick wink at the shorter girl before riding down the path away from the homestead. Waverly shakes her head at the girl and lets out a laugh before walking inside the house for the night.

* * *

The following day at school, neither of the two girls see much of the other. When it’s time for lunch, Waverly briefly sees Nicole in the hallway and she offers the redhead a small wave. Nicole returns the gesture before exiting the school. During most of her classes after lunch, Waverly finds herself wondering where the redhead sneaks off to every day around lunchtime. She makes a mental note to ask her next time they get a chance to talk. 

Once the bell rings, signaling that 6th period is over, Waverly makes her way to her final class of the day: creative writing class. Easily her favorite class. When she enters the classroom, she takes her seat at one of the desks in the front. After retrieving her notepad and pencil from her backpack, she opens the notepad to a clean page and writes the date in the upper right hand corner. When the rest of the students file into the classroom and the tardy bell rings, she clasps her hands together on her desk and waits for the teacher to begin speaking. However, before she can get a word out, the classroom door opens and Waverly sees a flash of red zoom past her desk. 

“Glad you could join us today, Miss Haught. Since you haven’t been present the past two days, please see me after class so I can give you your syllabus.” Mrs. Lucado gives the redhead a tight lipped smile. Waverly not so subtly turns around so she can steal a glance at Nicole. When hazel eyes meet brown, the redhead offers her a wink. The brunette quickly turns back around so Nicole can’t see the blush rising to her cheeks. 

“Alright, so I know we talked a bit about the syllabus yesterday and what is expected of you. You all know this class will consist of just a few assignments and a semester-long project that will be worth most of your grade in here and that will also count as the final.” The blonde teacher walks around her podium and stands in front of the class. “You and your partner are to create a poetry book that encompasses many of the emotions that we as human beings feel over the span of our lifetime.” Mrs. Lucado walks to the board and points to where she has the poetry book requirements listed. “I would like you to write two poems about each of the emotions you see listed. So two sad, two happy, two grief, two love, two anger, two envy, two anxiety, two fear, two nostalgia, and last but not least, two soulmate poems.” 

Waverly makes sure to write down everything that’s written on the board. She absolutely despises group projects because she’s usually the one that has to do _all the work_. “Okay, as far as partners go, I already have them picked.” The sound of groaning can be heard throughout the entire classroom. “I know, I know. I’m the worst. Anyways, when I say the group names, you may go sit next to your partner and begin discussing the project.” Both Waverly and Nicole tune the teacher out until they hear their own names called. “Waverly Earp, you will be paired with Nicole Haught.” So many emotions course through both girls, but surprisingly the most prominent one is elation. 

Nicole Haught strikes Waverly as a back row kinda girl, so instead of arguing about where they will be planning this project out, the brunette decides to just pack her things up and move to the back. When she finds an empty desk by the redhead, she drops her stuff down beside it and slides into the seat. 

“Fancy seeing you here.” The redhead smirks and Waverly can practically hear it before she even looks over at Nicole.

“More like fancy seeing _you_ here. I’ve been attending this class for two days now and this is the first time I’m seeing you.” The brunette fires back and the redhead’s dimples make an appearance. 

“Touche, Earp.” Before Waverly can reply, Lucado speaks up again.

“For this project, I will be allowing you to leave school grounds each day so you can find creativity and gain inspiration from the world. I know it’s hard to find inspiration sitting in a desk surrounded by poorly decorated walls.” The teacher walks to her desk and grabs a stack of papers. “Before you go, make sure to see me so you can grab a project checklist.”

“Alright, Earp. You ready to go for another ride?” The redhead asks as she grabs a checklist and her syllabus from the teacher before following the brunette out of the classroom. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Waverly chortles as she walks over to her locker. 

“Oh come on, don’t be like that. You enjoyed it and you know it,” Nicole scoffs playfully. “Besides, it’s actually nice outside today, so you’ll get the full experience,” Nicole winks, heading in the direction of her own locker. 

Waverly takes a deep breath, trying her best to collect her thoughts. “You comin’?” She hears Nicole yell from down the hall as she hears a locker close. She puts the books she needs in her bag and closes the door, following the redhead down the hall. 

“So, where are we heading? Maybe the mysterious place you go during lunch?” The brunette asks as they walk out the double doors of the school. 

Nicole chuckles and shakes her head. “You keeping tabs on me, Earp?” she jokes, and the smaller girl blushes a little, looking anywhere other than Nicole’s direction. 

“No, I just happen to notice when someone’s acting sketchy,” Waverly retorts, walking over to Nicole’s bike. 

Nicole hands her helmet and jacket over to Waverly, who takes the items with a raised brow directed at the redhead, “Safety first,” Nicole clarifies. “And as for my sketchy behavior, I don’t like being trapped inside walls. I like the outdoors. The fresh air, the trees, the animals, all of that. So for lunch I go to a spot on campus that can be considered relatively peaceful,” she explains. 

Waverly nods her head as she puts the jacket and helmet on, watching as Nicole settles herself on the bike. They go through the same routine they went through the day before, Nicole helping Waverly get on the bike and getting comfortable on the ride, before taking off down the same path. 

“You know, you never answered my question right?” Waverly asks from her spot behind Nicole. 

Nicole lets out a breathy laugh. “You’re not very good at ‘surprises’ and ‘patience’ are you?” she jokes. 

Waverly rolls her eyes even though she knows the redhead can’t see her. “In my defense, I don’t really know you. For all I know, you’re taking me to the middle of nowhere to chain my body to a tree to be eaten by wolves later,” the smaller girl retorts. 

Nicole’s eyes go wide. If she wasn’t having to pay so much attention to the dirt road they are on, she would probably turn around to look at the brunette. “Umm. Yeah, so we don’t really have time to unpack all of that, but I promise that’s _not_ what I’m doing.”

Waverly chuckles, relieved by the redhead’s answer. After how their first meeting went, how was she supposed to know? Better to be safe than sorry. 

They continue with most of the ride in silence, Waverly spending most of that time taking in the sights around her. She grew up here, so it’s not like she has never seen the area before. The road they are currently on is the road she takes to get home anyways. But there’s something about seeing it all like this, on a bike with no obstructions. She can look anywhere and really feel the air, which makes her feel invincible. 

It’s when they are only a few minutes away from the homestead that she really starts to question the situation. “Uh, Nicole? Are you taking us to my house?” Waverly asks skeptically. 

Nicole shakes her head, “Nope, but close actually. I didn’t realize how close my spot was to your house until I took you home yesterday.”

Waverly nods, keeping a close eye on the road. It’s not that she doesn’t trust Nicole, but like she mentioned earlier, she doesn’t really know the girl, or her agenda. Of course they’ve gotten friendlier since their first meeting, but if there is one thing Waverly is good at, it’s keeping her guard up. 

Nicole turns the motorcycle off of the dirt path and into the grass, but she doesn’t stop driving. Waverly tightens her grip around Nicole’s middle in response to the sudden bumps, but the redhead remains confident of where she’s going, which makes Waverly calm down a little. 

After driving about two minutes into the forest on what looks like a man-made path, they arrive at a little cliff. Nicole stops her bike and turns off the engine, helping Waverly off of the vehicle. Waverly takes off the helmet and jacket and sets the items on top of the seat, taking the time to look around the spot. There’s green all around, trees surrounding the small clearing. A look over the cliff and she can see the entire town from a bird's eye view. It amazes her how small everything looks from so high up and far away. Toward the side of the space, and close to the cliff, there is a singular willow tree. Waverly watches fondly as Nicole sets their belongings down under it.

“This is incredible,” Waverly breathes out. She’s never seen anything like it, and the thought that it’s only _maybe_ a couple of minutes' walk from the homestead makes it even more astonishing. 

Nicole gives her a genuine smile in return, moving to sit underneath the willow tree. When she’s settled, she pulls out some books from her backpack. “Thank you. You ever need me, nine times out of ten, I'll be here.”

Waverly looks back at her and walks over to where she’s sitting, taking a seat next to her. The spot is far enough away from the edge of the grassy cliff that her legs aren't even close to dangling off of it, but close enough to where she has a clear view of the town. “How did you even find this place? You’ve only been here, like, a few days,” Waverly asks in awe. 

Nicole chuckles, amused by the girl’s fascination and wonder. She’s starting to think she really hasn’t met anyone like Waverly Earp before, and that thought terrifies her. She stores that thought in the back of her mind, not wanting to get caught up in the moment. “Things at home are… complicated,” Nicole answers truthfully. She spares a glance at the girl sitting to her right and sees nothing other than perplexity and curiosity on her features. “I don’t like to be there much,” she explains, “so I always make sure I have somewhere that I can go when I need to escape.”

Waverly nods, not quite sure how to respond. She doesn’t want to overstep and make the girl uncomfortable, especially when she feels like she finally might be making progress with the redhead. 

They sit in silence for a few minutes, just soaking in the area around them. The silence is comfortable, much to both of their surprise. “So,” Nicole starts. “Shall we get started?”

“Sure,” Waverly smiles, reaching into her backpack to grab the project checklist Mrs. Lucado gave them before they left. She hears Nicole softly chuckle from beside her. “What?” Waverly questions.

Nicole reads over her own checklist and shakes her head, turning her paper a little more towards Waverly so she can read off her paper. “An ice breaker. Really? What like two truths and a lie?”

Waverly laughs, nodding her head in response and looking off her own paper. “Yep, I guess.”

“God, I swear some teachers act like we’re 12,” Nicole laughs, placing her paper on the ground and pulling her legs up to her chest to rest her arms on her knees. 

“Yep,” Waverly agrees, setting her paper down as well and stretching her legs out in front of her, propping herself on her arms behind her. “You wanna start?”

Nicole shrugs, “Sure, why not. Might as well get it out of the way,” she jokes. 

Waverly nods, paying extra attention to the redhead. She watches as the girl's face changes from deep in thought to confusion, and then to mischievous. 

“Got it,” Nicole starts, turning her upper body to face Waverly a little better. “Okay. I’m 18, I was on the swim team at my old school, and I currently work at a supermarket.” 

Waverly smirks, this was going to be easy. “You most definitely do not work at a supermarket,” she states obviously. 

Nicole smirks back, “Is that your final answer?”

Waverly falters for a moment, Nicole’s confidence making her second guess her answer. Waverly figures she is probably just trying to psych her out. There is no way she’s wrong. “100%,” Waverly replies. 

Nicole shakes her head, “I hate to break it to you, Miss Earp, but I do indeed work at a supermarket,” the older girl reveals. 

Waverly’s jaw drops, “ _Shut up_ ,” she gapes at her. “When did you start?” she questions excitedly. 

Nicole laughs, playing with the grass on the ground between them with her right hand while the other rests on her knee. “A few days ago. I needed a job, they had a spot, the rest is history,” she answers shortly. 

“Wow. I really thought you were a swimmer,” Waverly sighs and looks down at the grass between them.

“Oh God no. I can’t swim for shit,” Nicole laughs, “What about me gives you ‘strong swimmer’ vibes?” she jokes. 

Waverly looks up, “Umm, the _everything_ about you? Well, I mean, not _everything_ I guess. More like, your body? Not that I’m assuming anything about your body, I wouldn’t do that, you just look like you can swim,” Waverly rambles, quickly growing red in the face from embarrassment. 

Nicole smirks at Waverly, “Are you checking me out, Earp?”

Waverly practically chokes on air. “Wha- no! _No_ , of course not. I can just be incredibly observant,” she stutters, trying to recover from her massive word fuck up. 

“Hmm. Well that’s a shame,” Nicole winks, causing Waverly to blush ten times harder, if that is even possible. 

“So, 18! The big one eight,” Waverly changes the subject oh so smoothly. “Is your birthday in August or something? How are you a senior?”

Nicole chuckles and looks down at the blades of grass that she’s been playing with between her fingers. “I got held back one year. Things were hard at home and I missed a lot of school,” she answers briefly, not wanting to get into the whole story. She has a feeling Waverly knows what she’s alluding to because the girl just nods and looks away. 

“So, since you’re 18, that means you have your soulmate tattoo, right?” she asks subtly. She has a feeling she saw it yesterday, but she wants to _really_ see it. 

“Yeah, I got it earlier in the year,” Nicole responds, twisting the arm on her knee to reveal the two tattoos on her wrist. One name and one willow tree. “It’s six letters, so it took six days to fully come in. Plus, my birthday’s the fifth of January, so it was an interesting and confusing New Year's Eve,” she laughs at the memory. 

Waverly reaches forward without even thinking about it and brushes her left thumb over the lettering. _GIBSON_. She’s never met a Gibson before, so that rules out anyone in the population of Purgatory. Maybe it’s someone from the city. 

“Have you met them yet?” Waverly asks softly, still running her thumb over the lettering mindlessly.

Nicole inhales sharply. When Waverly first touched the ink, Nicole felt a surge of electricity shoot through her entire body. She’s never felt anything like it and she can’t figure out what caused it. She shakes herself out of her daze to answer the girl's question. “No,” she chokes out, trying to regain her composure. “But hopefully one day,” she whispers, staring at Waverly through her peripheral vision.

Waverly nods back. She quickly pulls her hand away as if she’s just been burned when it dawns on her how long she’s been touching Nicole. “And the willow?” she asks. Usually soulmate tattoos are only engraved names, not images. Waverly won’t start getting hers for at least another month, but Wynonna got hers a few years ago. She really didn’t need to get hers though, considering Doc had gotten an _EARP_ on his chest, over his heart. There was no surprise when Wynonna got a _HOLLIDAY_ on her upper back a year later. 

“That one I got myself,” she whispers. Waverly gives her a curious look before the redhead continues. “We used to have a willow tree in our backyard,” Nicole begins. Waverly turns towards her a little more to show that she’s giving the girl her full attention. “My mom would always go out to take care of it. Water it, trim it, all of that. I would lay under it while she worked and she would tell me stories and recite poems to me. When she died, I knew I wanted to get a willow tree to honor her. I was just waiting for my soulmate tattoo to come in.” 

“Why did you wait?” Waverly whispers, not wanting to be too loud and break the moment between them. 

Nicole moves a little, placing both arms on her knees. She absentmindedly plays with her hands, brown eyes trained on the town below. “I knew I wanted to get them close to each other,” the redhead explains. “I’ve always loved the idea of soulmates. The thought that there is someone out there made just for you. Destined for you. Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me, maybe it’s the poet in me, but there’s something so magical about it. I know that whoever my soulmate is, they’re going to be _so_ important to me. So I waited until it appeared, and then I got my mom’s right above it. That way, I could have my two favorite people in the world right next to each other.”

Waverly stares at the girl beside her. She never expected that kind of response. She knows there’s a lot about the redhead that she doesn't know yet, but she’s starting to think that maybe there’s a lot more to her than she previously let on about herself. All Waverly knows in that moment is that she wants to know everything about the redhead.

“That’s beautiful,” Waverly whispers, keeping her eyes on the other girl. 

Nicole looks over and offers her a small smile. “Thanks.”

Waverly nods and turns to face the cliff, staring out at the open world of Purgatory. It has always felt so big when she’s in it, but looking at it from this angle, it all looks so small. 

“I think it’s your turn now,” Nicole teases. Waverly smiles at the girl, glad that there is no tension between them. This project might be easier than she thought, especially with the potential friendship growing between the two. 

“Oh, we’ll get there. But umm, just one more question,” Waverly adds coyly.

Nicole squints at the brunette, trying to figure out where she’s going with this. “Yes…?” she asks hesitantly. 

Waverly smirks at the girl, asking the question that burned itself into her brain the moment the original information was revealed. “So this job… what kind of uniform do they give you?”

Nicole is taken aback, not expecting a question so random to fall from the smaller girl's lips. “Uh, a polo and khakis? Nothing all that flattering, why?”

Waverly smiles, thinking about all the possibilities of the girl’s uniform. Specifically, the redhead’s ass in those khakis. Oh yeah, she is definitely going to have to see that soon. For strict research purposes only of course. “No reason,” Waverly sings, reaching over to her book bag to grab her note book. “Okay, so about this project.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back! We hope you're enjoying this story, happy Tuesday and we hope you love this chapter as much as we did ;)

“Wynonna! Hurry!” Waverly screams from her bathroom. A few seconds later, her sister comes barreling into the small bathroom with Peacemaker drawn. “Nonna! Put the gun away!” The younger Earp shrieks and Wynonna tucks the gun in the back of her pants when she surveys that her sister is not in harm’s way.

“Jesus, baby girl. Thought you were being attacked or something,” the older Earp puts her hand over her heart, her chest heaving a bit.

“Sorry,” Waverly smiles sheepishly. “But look!” The younger Earp pulls up her shirt and points to her ribcage. “My soulmate tattoo is starting to come in.” Wynonna smiles and traces her finger over the _H_ that has appeared on her sister’s side.

“Congrats, Wave. Only 5 days until the whole name is revealed to you,” The older Earp ruffles her sister’s hair and Waverly hits her hands away. “You ready?”

“More than ready,” Waverly sighs dreamily as she hoists herself up on the counter. “You know I’m a hopeless romantic. I’ve been waiting for this since I was a little girl.”

“Just have an open mind okay? And lower your expectations a bit so you don’t get hurt,” Wynonna pats her sister’s knee. “I don’t think the Universe makes mistakes so just know that whoever it is, there’s a reason why they were chosen for you.”

“Thanks for the pep talk, Nonna,” Waverly smiles genuinely at her sister. “I’m not really picky honestly. I just want someone who loves me back, you know?”

“Loving you is easy, baby girl,” The older brunette places a kiss to her sister’s forehead. “I’ll kill ‘em if they can’t see that.”

Waverly chuckles at her sister’s dramatics. “Easy there. That’s my soulmate you’re talking about.”

“Not even the Universe could stop me from fucking up someone who hurts you,” The older Earp offers her sister a wink before leaving the bathroom. When Wynonna leaves, Waverly finishes up getting ready. Her and Nicole made plans to meet at the redhead’s spot so they could work on their project some more. Once she throws on some makeup and curls her hair, she walks out the front door and makes her way to the spot. It only takes her about 10 minutes to get there on foot and when she does, Nicole is nowhere in sight. Not thinking anything of it, the brunette takes a seat on the grass and pulls out a poetry book she’s been reading from her bag. 

When another 30 minutes pass and the redhead is nowhere to be seen, she sighs and closes the book. Once the poetry book is tucked securely back in her bag, she pulls out her phone and texts Mercedes. It may be crossing the line a bit to get the redhead’s address from the school secretary, but Waverly is genuinely worried about the girl. Sue her.

After checking with Wynonna to make sure she doesn’t need the truck this afternoon, Waverly cranks the pickup and drives to the address Mercedes just texted her. She rolls her eyes at the many winking face emojis that were sent after the address. It only takes the brunette about 15 minutes to arrive at Nicole's house. It’s a dainty red brick house that sits at the end of a dirt driveway. Waverly puts the truck in park and hops out. She doesn’t see Nicole’s bike anywhere, but she still walks up to the house and knocks three times on the wooden door. A few seconds later, the door swings open and a red haired man stands in front of her. 

“Can I help you?” He asks gruffly. Waverly can smell the alcohol on his breath even from a few feet away. 

“My name is Waverly. I’m a friend of Nicole’s. Is she home?” The brunette asks and when the man’s eyes narrow, her blood runs cold. 

“You’re one of them Earp girls ain’t ya?” The man yells as he throws his beer bottle down on the ground near her feet. Glass shatters all around her and her body goes rigid. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing showing your face here, huh?” He takes a step closer to the brunette and bile rises in Waverly’s throat at the strong stench of alcohol on his breath. 

“I-I’m sorry I will leave. I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” The brunette stumbles over her words, her heart racing at the wild look in the man’s eyes. “Can you just tell Nic-”

“I said fucking leave!” The man shoves her back and she loses her balance and falls to the ground. She winces at the pain that shoots through her right hand and looks down to see shards of glass from the beer bottle sticking out of it. She tries to scramble to her feet as the man stalks toward her. However, the pain of putting weight on her injured hand is too much to bear, so she just tries to scoot away. She vaguely hears the sound of a motor in the distance, but right now, all she can focus on is getting away from the very angry man towering over her.

“Hey!” Nicole screams as she jumps off her bike. She rips her helmet off and throws it onto the ground before running up to her porch. When she sees blood on the porch and Waverly Earp crying on the ground and cradling one of her hands to her chest, Nicole sees nothing but red. “Don’t you fucking dare lay another finger on her!” The redhead pins her dad up against the side of the house, her forearm lodged in his throat.

“She’s an Earp!” The man screams back at his daughter.

“She’s my friend!” Nicole shouts in his face. “If you so much as look at her the wrong way again, I’ll make sure she’s the last person you glance at got it?” The redhead lets go of her father and he mumbles profanities under his breath as he makes his way back inside the house and slams the door. When he’s out of sight, she immediately drops to her knees by the brunette, ignoring the broken glass. Her heart breaks at the sight of the girl. She looks so small at the moment and all Nicole wants to do is protect her from the world. The redhead scoops Waverly into her arms and walks her back to her bike.

“I’ll get you fixed,” The redhead mumbles to the whimpering brunette in her arms. She gently sits Waverly on the back of the bike before straddling it herself. Once she's situated, she carefully wraps Waverly’s hands around her waist while trying not to hurt the girl. “Hold on as tightly as you can with your other hand okay? I’ll go slow.” The brunette just nods and lays her head on Nicole’s back. A few minutes later, they make it into town and Nicole stops at a grocery store. She promises she’ll be right back and Waverly just nods her head. The redhead emerges from the store a few minutes later with a plastic bag full of medical supplies. She hangs the bag from the handlebars of the bike before hopping back on and getting herself and the brunette situated again. “Just a few more minutes.”

Once they arrive at the secluded clearing, Nicole turns the motor off and turns slightly in her seat. Waverly loosens her grip around the redhead's waist, but doesn’t make any effort to move herself, still frozen in her daze. 

“Waves,” Nicole whispers. “Can you move to sit under the tree, or do you want me to help you?”

Waverly nods her head, looking down at the bike seat and holding her wrist close to her chest. Nicole takes that as a yes to the last question, so she gets off the bike and holds a hand out to Waverly. The brunette takes the offered hand in her non-injured one and allows herself to be helped off the bike. 

Nicole leads them over to their spot under the willow tree and Waverly sits down with her knees to her chest, her head dropped down to rest on top of them. Nicole walks back to the bike to grab the medical supplies she just picked up before walking back over to the brunette. She sits beside her as she dumps the items onto the ground, organizing them in the order she wants to use them. 

Once everything is organized, Nicole turns her head to look at Waverly, who still has her head down and her arm cradled to her chest. “Can I see?” Nicole asks softly.

Waverly nods her head again before leaning closer to Nicole, moving her arm to allow it to drape over Nicole’s legs so she can have access to it. Nicole carefully grabs the brunette's wrist and twists it slightly, enough for her to survey the damage without it being painful. 

“This might hurt a little bit. I’m going to remove the glass shards,” Nicole warns. “If it’s too much just let me know and I’ll stop.”

“ _Okay_ ,” Waverly croaks, barely above a whisper. Nicole grabs the tweezers she had laid out first and carefully starts removing the tiny pieces she can find embedded in the smaller girl's hand. Waverly flinches a few times, but overall the process goes smoothly.

Nicole lightly runs her fingertips over the palm of Waverly’s hand, double checking for any glass she might have missed while simultaneously hoping to comfort the girl with the soft touch. Waverly shivers, although she's not sure if it’s thanks to the feeling or the brisk air around them. 

“Alright, I’m not going to sugarcoat it, this is going to sting like a motherfucker,” Nicole murmurs before reaching over to grab the alcohol to clean the cuts. She opens the bottle and holds it over Waverly’s injured palm with one hand, while she reaches out for the girl’s other hand with her free one. “Squeeze as hard as you need to. I’m tougher than I look,” the redhead winks, resulting in a dry chuckle from the brunette. 

Nicole pours some of the liquid onto the wounds, causing Waverly to hiss and clutch Nicole’s hand in a death grip. “That’s it,” Nicole encourages. “You’re doing amazing, Waves.”

Waverly nods her head vigorously, her eyes squeezed shut and her breathing sporadic. The sharp pain she feels radiating from her hand is almost too much to bear. Nicole caps the bottle and grabs the bandages from beside her. “Last thing and then we’re done,” Nicole soothes, gently cradling Waverly’s hand in hers and fixing the wrap in place, making sure it isn’t too loose or too tight. When she’s satisfied with her work, she slowly brings the bandaged hand to her lips and presses a faint kiss to the now covered palm. Waverly blushes, watching the whole process intently. 

They stay like that for a minute, Waverly’s hand still cradled in Nicole’s lap and the brunette leaning against Nicole’s side. They remain staring out at the world below them and breathing in the air around them. Both of them too scared to speak and break whatever trance they are in, while both being so far in their own thoughts that they don’t even know what to say. 

“I’ll never play piano again,” Waverly sighs as she looks down at her hand.

Nicole looks over at her curiously. “You play piano?”

“No,” Waverly pouts, shaking her head and resting her forehead against the redhead’s shoulder. Nicole couldn’t have stopped the small smile that graces her features even if she had tried. 

The redhead breathes in deeply. She knows she should explain her father's actions, and although she’s sure Waverly knows what caused him to act that way, it doesn’t make it any less embarrassing or angering. When Nicole exhales, Waverly moves her head from the taller girl’s shoulder to look up at her fully. Nicole shifts a little uncomfortably, leaning back on her hands and stretching her legs in front of her. 

“My dad wasn’t always this bad,” Nicole starts, her voice barely above a whisper. Waverly has to strain to hear it, but she can still make out the words clear as day. “After the accident he spiraled. He lost himself in booze and bad decisions, basically forgetting he still had a daughter to take care of. I think it was just easier for him, ya know? He always said I looked too much like mom. Hell, apparently I even act like her most of the time.”

“Things really took a turn when I went to high school. He stopped looking at me like I was a child who needed protecting from the world, and looked at me more as the teenager who was the same age as the girl who killed his wife. Some nights he would get so drunk, he wouldn’t even try to hold back his anger. He-” Nicole chokes out, feeling overcome with all of the emotion she has never let out before. She’s never felt the need to tell anyone any of this before, let alone felt like anyone would actually care enough. Most of all, she’s never met anyone she trusts enough to share this part of her life with. Until now. 

Waverly stares at her attentively, mirroring Nicole’s sitting position and placing her bandaged hand on Nicole’s. She passes it off as though she’s just holding herself up, but they both know it’s mainly to comfort the redhead. To let her know that she doesn’t have to share anything she’s not ready to share.

Nicole shares a soft smile with the girl beside her before clearing her throat and continuing. “Because of all of the stuff at home with my dad, I had to repeat my Sophomore year. That’s the reason I’m a year older,” Nicole explains. 

Waverly nods to herself as she takes in all of the new information. She can’t help but feel guilty for all of Nicole’s pain. _Responsible_ for it. All because of her last name. No wonder Nicole reacted the way she did when they first met. Hell, if anything, Waverly has a newfound respect for the girl next to her. If she had been in her shoes, there’s no telling what she would have done. Nicole took it easy on them. 

“Nicole…” Waverly whispers, causing Nicole to glance over at her. “I am so, _so_ sorry. For everything. God, no wonder you hate us,” Waverly breathes out. 

Nicole quickly sits up straight, moving her right arm but making sure to leave her left on the ground and under Waverly's hand. “Woah woah woah, _hey_. No,” Nicole says softly, yet forcefully, causing Waverly to flinch slightly. She knows Nicole would _never_ do anything to hurt her, but after tonight’s events it’s an unfortunate reflex. 

Nicole draws back slightly, shock and fear overcoming her features. The last thing she wants is for Waverly to ever _fear her_. Nicole feels her eyes start to glaze over, but regardless she slowly brings her opposite hand, the one that isn’t resting on the ground under Waverly’s, out in front of them both. Slowly, in order for the brunette to see it and see the tenderness in it’s movements. Nicole brings it up to lightly cup Waverly’s cheek, gently moving the girl’s face to look her in the eyes. 

When Waverly looks into Nicole’s eyes, her heart stops. The redhead’s eyes are full of unshed tears, compassion, care, and something else Waverly can’t quite decipher at the moment. 

Nicole uses her thumb to stroke the girl’s tear stained cheek. “I would _never, ever_ , hurt you. Please, I need you to know that,” Nicole pleads softly. Waverly slowly nods her head, fighting against the threat of the unshed tears she can feel behind her eyes, and looks down. “And I don’t hate you. I’ll admit, we didn’t have the best start,” the redhead chuckles lightly, causing Waverly to do the same. “But now that I know you? God, I could never hate you. I don’t think anyone ever could,” Nicole admits with a blush, the honesty of the words surprising her. 

Waverly whips her head up at that, not expecting the way those words coming from Nicole’s lips would make her feel. They stay like that for a moment, just letting the words hang in the air. This time, Waverly is the one to break the silence between them. 

“Daddy was an alcoholic,” the shorter girl starts, her voice small. “He was the sheriff of a small town, and with that came demons he wasn’t prepared to fight. So he drowned himself in alcohol every night. Mama did her best to deal with it, but she couldn’t handle it very long. One day she just left. None of us know where she went. All we know is she packed a bag and she never looked back.”

“That was the last straw for daddy. A few months later he up and left too, leaving his deputy, sheriff Nedley, to take over his position. Once he was gone, it was just me, Wynonna, and our oldest sister Willa. There was also Doc. He was a family friend and turned out to be Wynonna’s soulmate, actually. He didn’t like his family. He always said they were trouble and he ‘preferred not to be around the sort.' He has an interesting way of wording things,” Waverly explains when Nicole gives her a weird look. 

“He stuck around to help us. Wy was 13, Willa was 15, and I was 9. That’s when they started stealing for groceries and necessities for the house. We probably could have gotten help, but the thought of us being split up scared us, and with there being four of us, we knew the chances of someone taking all of us in together were slim. So we made do with what we were given. Until that night…” Waverly trails off. She figures Nicole knows enough about that night as she does. She doesn’t feel the need to explain it. 

Nicole nods in understanding, appreciating Waverly ending the story there. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, I didn’t know,” Nicole apologizes, shifting herself back over to her original position of leaning back on her hands and looking over the town.

“You couldn’t have known. It’s okay. Life doesn’t throw anything at us we can’t handle, right?”

Nicole scoffs a little, but chances a side glance at the other girl. She’s also looking over the town, looking deep in thought. “That’s a pretty optimistic way of looking at things,” Nicole acknowledges.

Waverly huffs out a laugh, “You can live two ways. Be a pessimist and hate life and everything in it, or be an optimist and enjoy the cards you were handed that you can’t change.”

Nicole turns her head fully to get a good look at the brunette. “I’ve never met somebody who views the world that way. It’s incredibly admirable,” Nicole admits, watching as Waverly tries to hide her blush. “No, seriously, it is. And I’m sorry. For being an asshole when I found out you were an Earp.”

Waverly shakes her head repeatedly. “No need, I completely get it, really. If anything I’m sorry you were in that position to begin with-”

“No more apologizing,” Nicole interrupts. “You have no reason to. Don’t let something you had nothing to do with hang over your head. We know who’s guilty and who’s not,” Nicole whispers. 

Waverly nods, looking at the ground solemnly. Nicole immediately perks up, thinking of something that doesn’t sit right with her. “Wait a minute, you said you had two sisters, but I’ve only ever heard you talk about Wynonna. What happened to Willa?”

Waverly’s breath catches in her throat. She wasn’t expecting the question, and as much as she usually hates people asking questions, she doesn’t mind it when Nicole does it. If anything, the redhead taking an interest in her life feels good almost. 

“She ran off. Wy said she couldn’t handle things without daddy anymore. Haven’t heard from her since. Ironically, tomorrow's the anniversary of her being gone.”

Nicole’s blood runs cold at that thought, the color draining from her face, and Waverly quickly picks up on it. “Oh…” Waverly whispers. “That’s where you were today,” the brunette says, piecing the picture together in her head. 

Nicole nods, looking down at the ground as she speaks. “Six years today,” The redhead chokes. “I went to put flowers on her grave. I do it every year,” Nicole confesses. 

Waverly nods, not knowing what she can possibly say to comfort the redhead. Ultimately, she knows there’s nothing she can say to make anything better for her. She’s lost people too, and although the situations are different of course, she knows what it feels like. She knows that although there are good intentions behind them, words only do so much. 

So instead of filling the silence with empty promises and words of affirmation, Waverly just sits there with her. She knows it is one of the only things she can do that will really make a difference. Nicole probably won’t remember anything Waverly says to her a month from now, but she will remember this. She will remember Waverly sitting with her in silence, lightly brushing her thumb back and forth over Nicole’s hand under hers while they look out at the town together. She will remember how Waverly stayed, despite all of the shit they’ve been through together in just a matter of weeks. 

Because if there is one thing Waverly always does without question, it’s that she is always _there_. And she always _stays_. No matter what. 

Throughout the night, despite everything that had happened earlier, there’s been one recurring thought that keeps making itself present in Waverly's mind. 

_‘God. If only the ‘H’ on my ribs stood for ‘Haught’...’_


	4. Chapter 4

Waverly wakes up on her birthday with a burning feeling on her rib cage. The final letter of the name that will be engraved on her skin for the rest of her life. The last few days have given her a pretty good idea of who her soulmate is, and the idea is terrifying. A part of her wanted it to be the leather wearing redhead who haunts her dreams more than anything in the world. But the other part of her? Well, that part is slightly terrified. 

Waverly sits up in her bed and leans against her headboard, lifting up her shirt to get a good look at her new tattoo. She gasps when she sees the name, her suspicions confirmed. Now there’s no way she can even remotely try to deny it to herself. Not now that she has the name ' _Haught_ ' tattooed to her skin in dark black ink.

She lets out a shaky breath as her fingers run over the lettering. Is this some kind of cruel joke from the universe? None of this makes sense. Of course her soulmate is Nicole. Something in her is relieved. It explains why she can never get the older girl out of her mind. But another part of her is confused. Waverly has seen Nicole’s tattoo with her own two eyes, and it most certainly doesn’t say ‘ _Earp_ ’. So, either the universe has decided to screw Waverly over and give her soulmate a different soulmate, or… _or_ …

Waverly reaches over to her bedside table with a shaky hand, clutching her phone in her grasp. Wynonna and Doc are currently out of town, so Waverly can’t just walk downstairs and confront her sister in person like she desperately wants to. Instead, she has to result to a phone call. 

The phone rings for a few seconds, giving Waverly enough time to try to steady her breathing. So many things are falling into place in her head. So many pieces of the puzzle are coming together. 

“Hey baby girl, I was just about to call you to say Happy Birthday, but you beat me to it. I swear I didn’t forget this time,” the older Earp laughs. “What’s up?” 

Waverly exhales a shaky breath. Getting words out is a lot more difficult than she had anticipated. 

“Wave?” Wynonna’s voice comes through the speaker again, this time laced in concern. 

“I’m not an Earp,” Waverly breathes into the receiver. There’s silence on the other line for a minute, and she thinks maybe Wynonna didn’t even hear her. 

“What?” Wynonna asks, but there isn’t any confusion behind it. Instead, Waverly swears she just hears fear. 

“I’m not an Earp, am I?” Waverly repeats with more conviction.

“Waverly…” the older girl tries.

“Answer the question, Wynonna,” Waverly demands, keeping her voice even and threatening. She wants her to know that she’s not screwing around here, and she knows Wynonna can tell. 

Wynonna takes a deep breath through the phone before releasing it just as shakily. “No, Waverly. You aren’t an Earp by blood,” she admits.

Waverly lets out a choked sob. She feels like she can’t breathe. She wants to run, but she doesn’t even know where she would run to. “I’m not your sister…” Waverly whispers through the phone. 

“No. _No_. Yes you are baby girl. Don’t you dare think like that. You are as much my sister now as you were before. Blood doesn’t mean shit, Waverly.”

“So that’s why daddy and Willa were always so mean to me. Because I wasn’t his. I wasn’t an Earp. I wasn’t your guys’ _sister_ ,” Waverly realizes out loud. 

“Waverly, _stop_. Stop saying you’re not my sister. Even though Willa is a closer sister to me in terms of blood, _you_ are a closer sister to me in terms of _life_.” Wynonna tries to reason. “Maybe we don’t share a last name, but we do share the same mother. You are still my sister, even if it’s not fully.”

Waverly nods her head slowly, even though she knows Wynonna can’t see her. This is the last thing she ever expected. It’s the last thing she ever wanted to deal with. “So. ‘Gibson’?” Waverly asks after a beat. 

Wynonna sighs, “Mama, obviously. She also has a sister, her name’s Gus. Aunt Gus lives in the states though. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is where mama ran off to.”

Waverly takes in all of the new information, but none of it is easy to swallow. Her whole life feels like it’s shifting, and it’s all happening so fast. It makes her head spin and her knees feel weak. Luckily she’s still sitting in bed. 

“Wait. How did you find any of this out?” Wynonna questions.

Waverly exhales, trying to determine a good way to break the news. “Nicole’s says ‘Gibson’.”

She can hear Wynonna trying to piece everything together in her mind over the phone. She can practically see her furrowed brows and inquisitive features. “What does Nicole have to do with- oh. _Oh_ ,” Wynonna breathes, finally figuring everything out like Waverly had minutes before. 

“Yeah…”

The line goes silent again, and for a minute, Waverly thinks Wynonna might have hung up. She’s not sure if that would make this whole thing easier or harder. 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t the universe make Haught your soulmate,” Wynonna chuckles.

“This isn’t funny, Wynonna,” Waverly snaps. 

Wynonna instantly stops laughing, her voice growing more serious. “I know, baby girl, but you gotta admit that’s some shit, right? I mean come on, she hates me. Your soulmate hates your sister because I-” Wynonna stops, realizing she doesn’t want to say the words out loud. She _can’t_ say the words out loud.

Waverly stays silent. She’s honestly not even sure there’s anything she wants to say to her sister right now. Before she can say something to end the phone call, Wynonna speaks up again.

“Look, Wave. I don’t care what some tattoo, blood, DNA bullshit has to say. You’re my sister. You’re an _Earp_. End of story,” Wynonna insists, trying to get through to her little sister.

Waverly sighs, feeling angry and sad and absolutely hopeless all at once. “Yeah, well, obviously I’m not,” she retorts before ending the call. She throws her phone on the bedside table before flopping back down on the bed and crossing her arms over her eyes. 

She hears her phone ping with text messages repeatedly and knows they’re all from Wynonna. Waverly groans as she squeezes her eyes shut. What is she supposed to do now? How is she supposed to just pretend everything is fine? All of these questions race through her head until she remembers something that causes her to shoot up in bed.

Chrissy is planning a party for her birthday tonight. At the homestead. And there is no way she can get out of it. 

The last thing she feels like doing now is partying. Honestly, she didn't really want to in the first place. It’s going to be a party full of people she barely talks to or likes. It’s pretty much just a huge excuse for people to get drunk and make out.

Of all of the bad shit to happen today, there is one big problem swirling through her brain. One issue she isn’t even sure she wants to confront. How is she supposed to tell Nicole? 

Fuck. Today is going to be a long day.

* * *

When Waverly enters the small grocery store, she walks up and down the aisles until she finds the specific employee that she came here to see.

“Haught damn, I was going to come here to tell you that you should be getting home so you can get ready for my party later, but looks like you’re already ready,” Waverly whistles. Nicole stops stocking the shelves so she can turn around and face the brunette.

“Happy birthday, Waverly,” the redhead offers the brunette a bright smile, allowing her dimples to be on full display. “Give me one second, actually,” Nicole walks briskly to another aisle to grab what she needs, leaving a confused Waverly standing in the middle of the cereal aisle. The redhead returns a few minutes later with her hands hidden behind her back. When she reveals her hands, Waverly sees she’s holding a mini cupcake with a candle stuck down in the center of it. The redhead fishes in her pocket for something and the brunette watches in adoration as she removes a lighter and lights the single candle. 

“Who knew that underneath that incredibly sexy polo and those completely irresistible khakis was a big softie huh?” The brunette winks at the redhead before taking the cupcake from her. Waverly closes her eyes momentarily before blowing out the candle.

“So what did you wish for?” When Waverly opens her eyes again, she sees Nicole smiling softly at her.

“For a calendar filled with pictures of you doing different poses while wearing _that_ uniform,” the brunette deadpans and Nicole pinches the bridge of her nose. 

“Okay, okay, go ahead and get all your jokes out. Let me hear ‘em all,” the redhead waves her hands out in front of her, encouraging Waverly to say what she’s thinking. “Also, what’s this about a party?”

Waverly busies herself with straightening the boxes of cereal that Nicole just put on the shelf. “Chrissy insisted on throwing me a birthday party since Wynonna and Doc are out of town. She invited almost the entire cheer squad and football team. My secretly introverted self is not too thrilled, but it is what it is I guess. You only turn 18 once,” the brunette turns to face Nicole with a smirk on her face. “You really have to come though because it just wouldn’t be a party if you and your uniform weren’t there. You’d have every Purgatory High student swooning.” 

“So you just can’t keep your eyes off my body today can you?” The redhead smirks when cocky Waverly is replaced with flustered Waverly. “But the party sounds fun. If I can get someone to cover my shift, I’ll come.”

“Aw you’d do that for me?” Waverly claps giddily and Nicole just shakes her head fondly.

“I’d do a lot of things to you,” the redhead whispers before she can stop herself, and Waverly’s face turns the color of Nicole’s hair.

“F-For me?” The brunette stutters.

“Yep, that too,” Nicole clears her throat before getting back to stocking the shelves with cereal.

“See you tonight, Nicole.” Waverly places her hand on Nicole’s shoulder for balance before standing on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to the redhead’s cheek. “Thank you for my cupcake.”

“Y-Yeah of course.” It’s Nicole’s turn to be flustered. She watches the brunette leave with a dopey smile on her face. She honestly couldn’t wipe it off her face if she wanted to.

And she definitely doesn’t want to.

A few hours later, Nicole finds herself standing on Waverly Earp’s doorstep, clutching a small gift box in her slightly shaky hands. The redhead practically paid someone to take her shift tonight. She tried to act nonchalant at the grocery store when Waverly asked her to come, but on the inside she was jumping with joy. Nicole takes a deep breath before walking into the dimly lit house that is covered up with Purgatory High jocks and cheerleaders. The redhead already feels a little out of place since she’s neither, but if Waverly wants her here, she’d stay for her.

In the meantime, Waverly is absolutely hating herself for giving Chrissy her consent to throw the party in her honor. There are way too many people here and the music is way too loud for her liking, which is why she’s currently on the verge of being completely drunk off her ass. She’s on her way to the kitchen to get another cup of punch when the door opens and a familiar redhead saunters into her house.

“Nic!” The brunette slurs as she makes her way to Nicole, who is awkwardly standing at the door. Waverly only trips a few times on her way over and one of the trips sends her right into Nicole’s arms.

“We’ve really got to stop meeting like this,” the redhead smirks, alluding to the fact that her and Waverly seem to always collide randomly.

“You came!” The brunette smiles widely, her moon eyes on full display. Nicole’s stomach flips at the sight. Waverly is a very cute drunk. 

“Of course I came,” the redhead puts her hand on the brunette’s elbow to steady her. She keeps swaying and it’s making Nicole very nervous. 

“That’s what she said.” Waverly laughs at her own joke, a small hiccup escaping her lips.

Feeling a bit bolder than usual tonight, Nicole leans close to Waverly and puts her lips near the shell of her ear. “That’s all I ever hear them say, yeah.” When the redhead hears Waverly take a sharp intake of breath, she leans back with a smirk on her face. The brunette’s lips are parted slightly, her eyes a darker shade than normal. She swears she hears the brunette whisper something along the lines of ‘I bet,’ but she can’t be sure that’s what she said because of how loud the music is.

“I-I’m uh going to grab another drink. You want one?” The brunette chugs the rest of the contents in her cup and then waits for the redhead’s answer.

“I have to drive myself home tonight, so I think I’ll just grab a Coke from one of the coolers. Thank you though,” Nicole replies and Waverly just nods and hooks her thumb toward the kitchen.

“I’ll be right back. Meet up with you in a few?” Waverly asks hopefully and the redhead smiles and nods.

“Of course. I still have to give you your present.” Nicole fiddles with the box in her hands and Waverly’s eyes follow her movements.

“That’s too small to be a calendar, Haught,” The brunette pouts and Nicole just chuckles. 

“Well I couldn’t find a photographer last minute unfortunately,” the redhead shrugs and Waverly laughs.

“Self-timer photos would’ve worked just fine. At least now you know what to get me for my 19th,” the brunette starts backpedaling to the kitchen. Nicole’s body lunges forward a bit when Waverly trips over the rug on the floor, but she halts her movements when the brunette regains her balance. “You have a _whole_ year to plan, so please don’t let me down.” 

“Never,” Nicole whispers when Waverly disappears into the kitchen. The redhead walks over to a cooler and grabs a Coke to sip on while she waits for the brunette to return. A few minutes later, Nicole sees Waverly stumble out of the kitchen with a dopey smile on her face. The redhead’s face lights up at the sight of her, but that smile disappears when Champ steps in front of the brunette, effectively blocking her path. Nicole watches as Champ reaches out to touch Waverly and she smirks when the brunette swats his meaty hands away. However, when the boy-man doesn’t seem to be taking no for an answer, Nicole sets her can on the nearest table and walks over to the brunette.

“I don’t want to dance, Champ. Please let me by.” The brunette tries to push past the boy, but he wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her into his chest. 

“Come on, baby. You know you want to,” the boy slurs and Nicole grabs his hand that’s around Waverly’s waist and pries it off the girl.

“I think she said no, Champ. Maybe you should move along,” the redhead steps in between the two and Champ snarls at her. 

“You again? Really?” The boy rolls his eyes and Nicole grimaces at the stench of alcohol on his breath. 

“Come on, Waves.” Nicole grabs the brunette’s hand and leads her away from the boy and to a back door. She vaguely hears Champ mock her, but she just rolls her eyes and keeps walking. When they are both standing on the back porch, Nicole turns to the birthday girl. “You okay?” The redhead bends down a little to meet slightly dazed hazel eyes.

“I am now. Thank you.” The brunette smiles and grabs one of the redhead’s hands in her own. Nicole’s whole body warms, despite it being cold outside. When a blush spreads across her cheeks, she clears her throat.

“Do you want to uh open your gift now? It’s not much-”

“I’m sure I’ll love it. Whatever it is,” Waverly squeezes the warm hand that she’s clutching in her own. Nicole hands her the small box and she smiles brightly. Before she can open it, Chrissy comes outside and ruins the moment. 

“Wave, come do a birthday shot with me,” the blonde grabs at Waverly’s hand.

“Chriss, give me a few minutes please I was just-”

“Wave! You can resume what you were doing in a few minutes. Just come onnnnn,” Chrissy tugs at the brunette’s hand and Waverly sends Nicole an apologetic look.

“I will be _right_ back please don’t move a muscle.” Waverly squeezes her hand one more time before letting it go and allowing Chrissy to pull her into the house. Nicole just sighs and takes a seat on the edge of the porch. A few minutes later, she hears the door open again.

“Took you long enough,” the redhead smiles.

“You been out here waiting for me to come find you, Haught?” Nicole hears a voice that is not Waverly’s. When she turns around, she sees a brunette that she’s noticed around school a bit, but has never spoken to. “I've been meaning to introduce myself at school, but I’ve never gotten the chance. I’m Shae.” The brunette takes a seat by Nicole and extends her hand. The redhead takes it in her own and shakes it.

“Nicole,” she smiles politely at the stranger.

“You know, I really have a thing for motorcycles. Maybe you could give me a ride one day?” Shae says suggestively, her thumb rubbing circles on the back of Nicole’s hand. 

“Uh, yeah I guess.” The redhead pulls her hand away and rubs the back of her neck awkwardly. 

“See you around, Haught.” Shae stands up and walks to the door. When she sees Waverly walking in the direction of the back door, she walks back to the redhead. “One more thing,” the brunette bends down and places a lingering kiss to the corner of Nicole’s mouth.

Waverly opens the door just in time to watch Shae lean in and kiss Nicole. The brunette drops the birthday gift in her hands to the floor, her heart dropping alongside it. When she feels tears form in her eyes, she runs back into the house and pushes through the crowd of people until she gets to the front door. The first tear falls as soon as she steps out on the front porch and she just keeps walking down the driveway. 

Nicole freezes when lips touch the corner of her mouth and after the initial shock wears off, she pulls away. “I uh, should go,” the redhead hooks her thumb toward the house before scrambling to her feet. When she gets to the door, she sees the giftbox she gave Waverly lying on the floor. “Fuck,” the redhead curses before retrieving the box from the floor and frantically searching the house for the birthday girl. When she finds Chrissy first, she taps the girl on the shoulder. 

“Have you seen Waverly?” The redhead asks.

“She walked out the front door a few minutes ago, but I don’t know where she went,” the blonde slurs and Nicole just nods before making her way to the front door. When she steps outside, she doesn’t see the brunette anywhere, so she gets on her bike to go look for her. Her worry turns to slight adoration when she sees the brunette angry walking down the road. 

“Waverly, what are you doing?” The redhead slows down and tries to match the bike’s speed to the pace the brunette is walking. 

“Being alone. I wanna be alone,” Waverly replies, her arms crossed over her chest and an adorable pout on her lips.

“Alright, well you’re pretty far from the homestead, so any further and you’re gonna freeze to death,” the redhead fights back a smile. “Just get on the bike.”

“No thank youuuu,” Waverly replies in a sing-song tone. 

“I’ve got a taser. Don't you make me use it.” Waverly stops walking at this revelation and turns to face the redhead.

“Why do you have a taser?” The brunette asks, her eyebrows raised.

“Get on the bike and I’ll tell you,” Nicole smirks as she offers the brunette a helmet. Waverly sighs and slips the helmet over her head before hopping on the back of the bike. When Nicole feels arms wrap around her middle and a head press to her back, she smiles to herself. “Hold on, birthday girl.” 

Instead of driving them back to the homestead, Nicole takes them somewhere they can be alone. A few minutes later, she brings the bike to a stop under their favorite willow tree. She hops off first and extends a hand to Waverly. The brunette just ignores it and stumbles off the bike without help from Nicole. The redhead watches fondly as the brunette takes a seat under the willow and pulls her knees to her chest. She rests her chin on them and stares out at the town. Nicole takes a seat beside her.

“You kissed Shae,” Waverly whispers. “And I _hate_ Shae.”

“Shae kissed me actually, but just on the cheek and I pulled away immediately,” the redhead steals a glance at the brunette, who is looking over at her now. 

“Do you really have a taser?” The brunette asks out of nowhere.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Nicole nudges Waverly’s shoulder with her own.

“I would, yes. So I can borrow it sometime and use it to keep Shae away,” Waverly deadpans. The redhead just snorts before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the taser.

“It was my moms. She carried it on the job and now I carry it everyday.” Nicole stares down at the weapon. “It helps me feel close to her. Like she’s here keeping me safe even though she’s not really here.” When a tan hand covers her own, Nicole looks up into sympathetic hazel eyes. 

“She’s alive,” Waverly places her hand over Nicole’s heart, “Here.” This time, Nicole places her hand over the tan one resting on her chest. She gives it a squeeze and then both of their hands drop to her lap. When Nicole puts the taser back in her jacket pocket, her fingers brush the small box that doesn’t belong to her. 

“You dropped this,” the redhead pulls the gift box from the pocket of her leather jacket. When she extends it to the brunette, Waverly’s face softens as she takes it in her hands for the second time tonight. 

“You didn’t have to get me anything. You coming to the party was more than enough. All I wanted actually,” Waverly speaks up, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Well that and a calendar… and for you to wear the uniform to my party.” Nicole laughs out loud and nudges the girl with her shoulder. 

“I wanted to,” the redhead shrugs and gestures to the gift. “You gonna open it or just admire my wrapping all night?” When the brunette shoots her a pointed look, she just offers her a wink. Waverly tears the wrapping off the box and opens the lid. She gasps when she sees a silver charm bracelet lying in the center of the box. 

“Nicole. It’s beautiful,” Waverly gushes as she brings the bracelet closer to her face so she can admire each of the charms. 

“There’s a motorcycle, pen, pom pom, angel, and a willow. There are more spots available for you to buy more charms for it, but each of those reminded me of you and well... us.” Nicole smiles softly at the birthday girl and Waverly extends the bracelet to her. 

“Do you mind putting it on me?” The brunette asks, her hazel eyes gleaming with excitement. Nicole takes the bracelet and wraps it around the brunette’s slender wrist. Once she clasps it, she runs her thumb over the back of Waverly’s hand. “I love it so much,” the cheerleader gushes.

“I’m glad, but that’s not all actually…” The redhead’s voice trails off when Waverly grabs the box and retrieves a piece of paper from it. When she unfolds it, she looks up at Nicole. The redhead swears that her crescent moon eyes are shining brighter than the actual moon that they are sitting under. 

“Everything is still spinning do you mind?” Waverly extends the letter to Nicole and the redhead just chuckles before she starts to read her poem to the brunette.

_the world was black and white until 1995_   
_the leaves remained brown year ‘round_   
_but on nine-eight their color came alive_

_the Moon had lost its light until the collide_  
 _she was used to being surrounded by darkness_   
_until the September Sun shared her poetry and light_

_the Willow wept until the day of the never-ending rain_  
 _she was lost in the woods all alone_  
 _only to be found by an Angel hell bent on erasing her pain_

_i’ll always remember September_

Waverly gently takes the poem back into her hands and re-reads it. “Nine eight for September 8th right?” When Nicole nods, she keeps reading. “The collide as in the first day of school? And the never-ending rain meaning the first time I rode on your bike?” The redhead nods again. “You’re the moon and the willow and I’m the sun and the angel?” Nicole just blushes, but nods once again. “This is the nicest gift anyone has ever given me, Nic. Thank you.” The brunette looks up into warm brown eyes and her insides melt at the sincerity in them. 

“Happy Birthday, Waves.”


	5. Chapter 5

“One more shot, Rosi. Please?” Waverly begs the brunette bartender, a pout present on face.

“Dammit, Earp. Your sister is going to kill me for being an accomplice in your drunkenness,” Rosita sighs as she pours another shot of whiskey and scoots it across the bar. “Last one. I’m cutting you off.”

“You’re the best!” Waverly claps her hands giddily before downing her fifth shot of the night. She grimaces as the gold liquid slides down her throat. When her phone vibrates in her pocket, she pulls it out and squints at the screen. “It’s my lying sister. Yay,” The brunette deadpans as she unlocks her phone and reads the text message. “I’ll talk to you when I want to talk to you.” Waverly reads off the text she’s sending to her sister before locking her phone again and sliding it back into her pocket. “Okay, time to dance!” The brunette announces. However, before she can get off the bar stool, her phone vibrates again and she retrieves it from her pocket. When her sister’s face pops up on the screen, signalling that she’s calling her, Waverly huffs. 

“What Wynonna?” The drunk brunette slurs into the phone. 

“Baby girl, how much have you had to drink?” Wynonna's voice echoes through the receiver. 

“You’re not my keeper, Wynonna. It’s none of your business,” Waverly replies with an eye roll. “Enjoy your vacation with your boyfriend and let me enjoy my time away from you.”

“Wave, it’s not a vacat-” The oldest Earp tries to explain, but Waverly just hangs up the phone.

“Don’t care,” The brunette replies to no one as she slams her phone down on the bar.

“Trouble in Earp paradise?” Rosita leans her elbows on the bar.

“Not Earp paradise because I’m not even an Earp,” Waverly deadpans and Rosita’s jaw goes slack.

“Well fuck...” The bartender retrieves a bottle of whiskey and pours another shot. “Okay, _this_ is the last one. Looks like you could use another.” 

“You’re a saint,” The brunette throws the shot back and grimaces once more. 

“Your sister might fuck up a lot, but you’re her whole world. You’re all she talks about at work,” Rosita smiles sadly at the intoxicated Earp. “So whatever she did to upset you, I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose. Sometimes her best intentions can make a mess of things.”

“I know, and maybe tomorrow I’ll forgive her, but I just really need to be mad at her tonight, Rosi,” Waverly practically falls off the bar stool as she attempts to get to the dance floor. “Okay, now I’m going to dance. I’m tired of moping.”

Meanwhile, Nicole is finishing up stocking a shelf when she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. When she checks the screen, she sees that it’s an unknown number. She almost doesn’t answer it, but there’s something in her that’s practically screaming for her to. When she sees that her boss is nowhere in sight, she presses the phone to her ear. 

“Hello?” The redhead whispers.

“Nicole?” An unknown voice replies.

“This is her?” Nicole answers warily. 

“Please don’t hang up. I need you to go make sure Waverly is okay,” The stranger replies and Nicole’s eyebrows furrow at the mention of the brunette. “It’s Wynonna.” The redhead’s blood runs cold.

“How the fuck did you get my number?” Nicole hisses.

“I have a good friend who works at the high school,” Wynonna replies. “Listen, I know we are practically sworn enemies, but we do have one thing in common. We both care about Waverly,” The brunette tries to reason with the angry redhead. “And she’s hurting and drunk off her ass at Shorty’s right now. I don’t trust the men in this town as far as I can throw them, so please go find her and make sure she’s okay? I’m out of town right now and I feel so fucking helpless-” 

“I’ll do it, Earp.” The redhead pinches the bridge of her nose. “But just to be crystal fucking clear, I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for her.” Nicole hangs up the phone before the oldest Earp can get another word out. She quickly finds her boss and gives him some half assed excuse about how she’s not feeling well. Luckily, he buys it and lets her leave. As soon as she hops on her motorcycle, she heads to Shorty’s.

In the meantime, Waverly’s dance moves are getting her a lot of unwanted attention at the bar. Usually, it would bother her, but tonight she just doesn’t care. She doesn’t care that creepy Kyle has his front pressed up against her back and she doesn’t care that his arms are wrapped tightly around her waist. The drunk brunette just continues to dance sensually to the song that’s playing on the jukebox. 

“Wanna get out of here?” Waverly feels Kyle’s hot breath hit her ear and she grimaces a little. 

“I’m actually good here. I just want to dance,” The brunette slurs as she tries to wiggle out of his grasp. 

“Dancing is fine. For now.” Kyle pulls her closer to his body and buries his face in her neck. He slides his hands under the brunette’s shirt, but before he can get past her rib-cage, someone forcefully pulls him away from her. 

In a moment of rage, Nicole shoves the man to the floor. She hasn’t been able to see any color but red since she walked in Shorty’s and saw this man trying to take advantage of a very intoxicated Waverly. When the brunette no longer feels anyone behind her, she spins around and comes face to face with her favorite redhead.

“Nic!” Waverly throws herself at the redhead and Nicole stumbles back a bit when a tiny body crashes into her own. Her arms instinctively wrap around the brunette’s waist so she can steady her. “I was just thinking about you and then you just appeared out of thin air!” The brunette giggles as she looks up at the redhead. Nicole softens a bit when unfocused hazel eyes meet her own. “Don’t tell anyone, but I think I may be a magician,” Waverly whispers seriously as her hands absentmindedly play with the collar of Nicole’s polo. “ _And_ you showed up wearing my favorite uniform. Maybe I should wish for a puppy to appear next.” The redhead just chuckles at the brunette’s drunk rambling. Nicole grabs Waverly’s wandering hands from her collar and places a quick kiss on them both before she drops them. “Let’s get you out of here, yeah?” The redhead offers the brunette a small smile. “It’s getting late.”

“On one condition,” Waverly hooks her fingers in the redhead’s belt loops and tugs her forward a bit. Nicole lets out a yelp at the action, but gives the brunette her full attention. When Nicole just nods, Waverly smirks mischievously. “You walk out first so I can stare at your ass in those pants as we walk to your bike.” Nicole swears that her face has to be a dark shade of red right now. She opens and closes her mouth, momentarily forgetting how to speak. “Or I could just go find Kyle and dance the night away...” The brunette challenges and Nicole’s eyes narrow slightly at the mention of the boy who couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Nicole just grabs the brunette’s hand and leads them both to the door. She rolls her eyes playfully when Waverly lets out a whistle. The redhead is completely and utterly smitten by drunk Waverly. Well, just Waverly in general if she’s being honest.

“Enjoying the view, pretty girl?” Nicole lets go of Waverly’s hand as soon as they exit the bar.

“Top shelf ass you got there, Haught,” Waverly flirts and Nicole just puts on her helmet so she can hide her blush. “I mean it looks good every day, but when you're in your work pants just… whew.” The brunette fans herself dramatically and Nicole grabs the spare helmet. She bought it a few days ago for Waverly since the brunette seems to be a frequent passenger on her bike these days. The redhead walks up to Waverly and carefully secures the helmet on her head. She gently fastens it under her chin as hazel eyes watch her every movement curiously. “You bought me a helmet?” When Nicole’s favorite crescent moons make an appearance, her heart rate speeds up. 

“I, uh, just bought it so anyone who rides with me will have a helmet.” The redhead clears her throat and walks back to her bike. She straddles it and waits for Waverly to get on.

“You bought me a helmet,” Waverly replies, but this time it’s not a question. Her sparkling eyes and bright smile set free a kaleidoscope of butterflies in the redhead’s stomach. Nicole sighs and extends a hand so she can help the brunette onto the back of her bike. 

“I bought you a helmet,” Nicole smiles warmly at Waverly as she settles herself onto the bike. When tan arms snake around her waist, she feels goosebumps cover her skin.

The ride back to the homestead consists of Waverly slowly moving her hands over Nicole’s stomach, causing the redhead to clench her abs and attempt to not veer off the road. By the time they finally arrive, Waverly is almost half asleep on the back of the bike. 

“Waves,” Nicole whispers, trying to get the brunette's attention without startling her. 

“Yeah, hot stuff? Wait! Or would it be _Haught_ stuff?” Waverly giggles at her own joke. 

Nicole scoffs and shakes her head at the ridiculous cheerleader. God, she was adorable. “We’re here,” She says, hopping off of the bike and guiding Waverly to get up after her. When she tries to get off the bike she stumbles, falling into the taller girl’s arms that are held out for her. Nicole sets her up right and looks down at her to make sure she’s okay. 

“Wow,” Waverly breathes out. “My hero in more ways than one tonight, huh?” 

Nicole laughs softly. “Come on, drunky, let’s get you to bed.” The redhead leads the girl up the steps of her home with an arm wrapped protectively around her waist to keep her steady. Waverly leans on her the entire way to her room, but they somehow make it without an accident. 

Nicole guides the shorter girl into a sitting position on the bed. Waverly’s head tilts back, mumbling drunkenly under her breath and bursting out into giggles. The redhead can’t hear anything she’s saying, but Waverly thinks it’s pretty funny, so Nicole just laughs with her. 

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” Nicole teases, laying her down against her pillows and moving the covers away from her so she can lay beneath them. 

“And you’re cute,” Waverly smirks, trying to come across as sexy, but instead ending up in a fit of giggles. 

Nicole rolls her eyes, but can’t help the blush that creeps up her neck at the thought of Waverly Earp thinking she’s cute. It sends butterflies flying in the pit of her stomach, and hope blossoming in her heart. ‘ _She’s drunk, Haught, get it together_.’ “You wanna tell me what happened tonight to get you to binge for the second night in a row?” The redhead prods.

She watches as Waverly’s laughter dies down, instead replaced with a look of dread and sadness. Nicole immediately regrets the question, but she knows she has to ask. “Nothing really, you know, just the everyday struggles of finding out you’ve been lied to your whole life and you’re actually not who you thought you were,” Waverly slurs bitterly.

Nicole stands by the bed completely frozen. Well _shit_ , that was unexpected. “What do you mean you’re _not_ who you thought you were?” Nicole asks cautiously, slowly lowering herself to sit on the edge of the bed beside Waverly. 

“Doesn’t matter,” The smaller girl brushes it off. “How did you know to come find me anyway?” She questions, looking up into soft, brown eyes.

Nicole pauses for a minute, contemplating if she should tell her the truth or just brush it off. “Wynonna called me,” She admits.

Waverly’s eyes go wide for a moment before she closes them, exhaling a shaky breath. She nods a few times, trying to clear her head from the fog of alcohol and bad decisions of the night. She knows she’s gonna have a killer hangover in the morning, but she doesn’t regret it. “Ah yes my _half_ sister. You hate her, why would you even talk to her?” Waverly asks quietly.

Nicole shrugs nonchalantly, slightly confused by Waverly’s words but not wanting to focus on that right now. She reaches for the blankets in an attempt to cover Waverly, but the girl just kicks the blankets off of her. “You’re gonna get cold,” She tries, but the smaller girl just shrugs halfheartedly. Nicole sighs, “I didn’t want to talk to her, but she said you were in trouble, so I heard her out.”

Waverly’s face softens, the walls she was trying to keep up in her drunken state start crumbling. “Nicole…” She whispers, her voice breaking on the last syllable. “If I’m not an Earp, what am I?”

Nicole looks down at the girl, finally piecing the puzzle together. _That’s_ why she’s been drinking so much lately, and _that’s_ why Wynonna couldn’t be the one to get her. “That’s easy,” She whispers back, reaching over to tuck a strand of hair behind the brunette’s ear, “you are, extraordinary.”

Waverly feels tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she lets out a yawn, the events of the night finally catching up with her. She’s exhausted, so she hums her acknowledgment instead, not trusting her alcohol riddled brain to not betray her and say words she can’t take back. 

The brunette turns over in the bed, making herself comfortable as she feels herself start to drift off. Nicole goes to grab the blankets again to pull them up when something catches her eye. 

When Waverly rolled over a second ago, her crop top got pushed up, not too much, but enough to reveal the new ink that had been engraved on her skin the morning prior. Nicole stares down at the name, not believing her own eyes. She blinks a few times, trying to get her thoughts in order. Trying to make sure this isn’t a dream. 

Sure enough, right in front of her face, the name ‘ _Haught_ ’ is tattooed on her crush’s skin. Nicole’s breath catches in her throat, it all makes sense now. Waverly’s words ring in her head. ‘ _If I’m not an Earp, what am I?_ ” Nicole knows the correct answer now. She’s a _Gibson_. 

The redhead looks down at her own wrist, then back at Waverly’s ribs, then back to her wrist. _Fuck_. The mixture of feelings is hard for her to decipher. On one hand, she’s absolutely elated. The girl she has been falling head over converse for is her soulmate. But on the other? The universe sure does love a sick joke. Her soulmate's sister killed her mother, and that isn’t something easily forgiven. 

Nicole sighs, releasing the tension from her shoulders. She loves Waverly, she knows that much. And she knows Waverly now knows Nicole is her soulmate, so if she hasn’t said anything that must mean something, right? Maybe she doesn’t feel that way about her. That’s the only explanation. Besides, she has so much to deal with right now with the whole ‘Earp/Gibson’ thing, she probably doesn’t want to unpack the ‘Haught’ part quite yet. 

Nicole leans down, placing a soft kiss onto the brunette’s temple before standing up. She grabs the blankets, pulling them up to the girl’s shoulders. The redhead watches as Waverly snuggles further into the warmth. ‘ _Told her so,_ ’ she smirks to herself. 

Nicole starts to leave the room, but then a thought hits her. She walks down the small hallway, checking the rooms to find the bathroom. Once she does, she looks around and finds a small medicine cabinet on the wall. She knows enough about Wynonna from the stories Waverly has told her to know that Wynonna likes to drink regularly. And with drinking, comes hangovers, and with hangovers, comes Advil. She spots the pill bottle she’s looking for, and exits the room, walking down the stairs and into the kitchen.

This is the first time she has ever been inside Waverly’s home, but it is small enough to where it isn’t too difficult to find things. She grabs a glass from the cupboard and fills it halfway with water before walking back up the stairs to Waverly’s room. 

The sets the pills and water down on the girl’s bedside table before looking at the sleeping angel. The way her hair is splayed out on the pillows looks like a halo framing her face, and Nicole almost swears she falls a little harder. 

Something still doesn’t feel right. Something feels missing. She remembers the night before when Waverly was upset, and how the only thing that made her feel better was the gift Nicole got her and the poem. 

The poem. That’s it. Nicole sits down at Waverly’s desk, grabbing a pen and a sheet of paper that is laying on the surface. Hopefully Waverly wouldn’t mind, but she can’t see the other girl caring too much that she chose to stay a little longer. 

She writes out her poem, thinking hard on the words she wants to put on the page. She isn’t the best poet, but writing is something she’s always loved to do. Once she finishes the last stanza, she scans the page, nodding her head and getting up to place it down next to the other items. 

She pulls out her phone, shooting a quick text off to Wynonna to let her know Waverly is safe. She might not like the girl, but she isn’t an asshole. ' _Waverly is fine, she’s tucked in at home and I’m leaving now._ '

The reply is almost instant. ‘ _Thank you, Haught. I owe you one._ '

Nicole thinks about not replying and just leaving it how it is, but something in her is telling her not to. Wynonna is her soulmate's sister after all. Maybe some progress between the two should be made, regardless of their past. She doesn't forgive her and still doesn’t like her, but it’s a start. So, she sends another text back. ‘ _Don’t mention it. Anything for our girl._ ’


	6. Chapter 6

Waverly wakes up the next morning and immediately lets out a loud groan. Her head feels as if there’s a whole concert going on in it and her mouth is uncomfortably dry. When she sits up, she immediately puts her hands to her head to try and stop the spinning. She screws her eyes shut for a few minutes until the spinning somewhat stops. When it finally does, she slowly swings her legs off the bed. That’s when she sees the glass of water, medicine, and note laying on her bedside table.

When images from the night before come flooding back into her memory, she groans again. She doesn’t remember a lot, but she does remember Nicole being there and she’s pretty sure she utterly humiliated herself in front of the redhead last night. Waverly reaches for the items Nicole left for her. She immediately twists open the medicine and pops two into her mouth before washing them down with the water. When she lays the glass back down, she picks up the piece of paper. She’d recognize the handwriting anywhere. After all, she does have to see it almost every day, considering the handwriting belongs to her creative writing class partner. Her eyes scan over the paper, a fond smile gracing her lips.

_you say only half your sister’s blood_  
_runs through your veins_  
_but i guarantee you she would_  
_give you every drop of blood_  
_she has in her body if you asked_

_when you lose blood_  
_you don’t lose yourself_  
_so why do we measure family_  
_using something that leaves us_  
_after just one scratch?_

_the blood moving through your veins_  
_may keep you living_  
_but the family you choose as your own_  
_keeps you **alive**_

_so tell me, how is it that not a single drop_  
_of my blood travels through you_  
_but you’re still the closest thing_  
_to a family that i have?_

Waverly presses the poem to her chest before any of the tears that are streaming down her face can fall on the paper and ruin it. The brunette wipes at the dampness on her cheeks with the back of her hand before reading the poem again. And that’s how she spends her morning. Re-reading the poem until she’s pretty sure she’s memorized every god damn line.

When her stomach growls, she finally lays the poem back down on her bedside table and walks downstairs to fix herself some breakfast. She finds she has a little more pep in her step this morning and she knows the exact reason for that. The reason is currently sitting on her bedside table, begging to be read just one more time. After breakfast, Waverly gives in and reads it yet another time, and it’s then that she decides that she needs to see the poet. Sending a text to the redhead thanking her for the poem seems wrong and just not genuine enough, so Waverly decides that she wants to thank her in person. Honestly, the brunette wants to do more than just thank her though. She wants to tell the redhead that they are soulmates, but she’s afraid that their past is just too complicated. There’s a huge chance Nicole will be disappointed and honestly, Waverly wouldn’t blame her one bit. However, it would still hurt like hell.

It all seems like a great plan until Waverly starts to worry that Nicole’s dad could be home again. So the brunette tells herself that she’ll just drive by and if he’s there, she will just call the redhead and thank her. Luckily, when she pulls up, she only sees a motorcycle in the driveway. When she parks the truck and gets out, she hears the sound of a ball hitting the pavement. She quickly closes the truck door and walks around the side of the house, curious to see what the noise is. A smile makes its way across her features when she is rewarded with the sight of a sweaty Nicole Haught playing basketball in her backyard. The brunette bites her lip as she watches the redhead dribble the ball to the goal and dunk the ball into the net. Nicole hangs from the rim for a few seconds and Waverly thanks the heavens that the redhead is wearing a sleeveless t-shirt. It gives her a perfect view of Nicole’s very toned arms that are glistening in the sun.

“Pull it together, Waverly,” the brunette whispers to herself as she swallows thickly and walks toward the makeshift backyard court. She didn’t want the redhead to turn around and catch her lurking by her house. “You know, a basketball uniform wouldn’t be nearly as attractive as your work uniform, but I think it’d still look good on ya.” Waverly watches as the redhead drops back to the ground and spins around to face her.

“Waves, hi,” Nicole smiles widely at her as she picks up the basketball and tucks it under her arm. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well you see, I woke up this morning and there was this really sweet poem laying on my bedside table,” the brunette walks closer to the taller girl with a smile on her face. “And I figured a poem that sweet deserved an in-person thank you.”

Nicole blushes and dribbles the ball a bit. “You should probably lock your doors at night. You never know who may break in and write you poems while you sleep.”

Waverly chuckles and walks closer to the redhead. She grabs the ball from her mid dribble and attempts to shoot the ball. However, she misses the hoop completely and Nicole snorts.

“Nice one, LeBron.” The redhead jogs to the grass to retrieve the ball and then jogs back. When Nicole is standing in front of Waverly again, the brunette closes the distance between them and wraps her arms around the redhead’s waist.

“The poem was beautiful, Nic. Thank you,” Waverly mumbles into the redhead’s chest and Nicole just drops the basketball to the ground and wraps her arms around the brunette’s shoulders. “And thank you for getting me home safely last night. I don’t remember much, just bits and pieces, but I remember you bringing me home.” Waverly leans back and looks up at the redhead, “Wait, didn’t you have to work last night?”

“I did, and I love my job, but I couldn’t miss out on the chance to see Waverly Earp drunk.. again.” Nicole smiles down at the brunette, her dimples on full display. Waverly just groans and buries her head in Nicole’s chest.

“Oh, god. I’m so sorry for whatever I said. I didn’t mean it,” the brunette mumbles into Nicole’s shirt and the redhead just laughs.

“So you aren’t a magician?” Nicole asks and Waverly leans back and looks up at her curiously. Before Waverly can ask what she means, the redhead speaks up again. “Also did you enjoy your view of my ass as I walked to my bike?”

“Sober me _loves_ your uniform, so I can imagine drunk me was truly living her best life when you showed up to Shorty’s wearing it,” Waverly smirks and Nicole throws her head back laughing.

“Drunk you was pretty happy to see me.” Nicole flashes her dimples, “And drunk you was pretty fucking cute honestly.” When Waverly reaches her hand up and slaps Nicole’s arm, the redhead drops her arms back to her side and puts a hand over the arm Waverly just slapped.

“ _Ouch_ ,” the redhead feigns hurt. “I just complimented you so what was that for?”

“You could’ve gotten fired for leaving work early, Nic!” The brunette throws her hands up in exasperation. “And do you know what happens if you get fired?” Nicole keeps her mouth closed, knowing good and well Waverly is about to tell her what happens. “I don’t get to see you in your uniform anymore. And I refuse to live in a world where that uniform doesn’t exist.”

“I’m pretty sure you only like me for my uniform,” Nicole places her hand over her chest in mock offense.

“Pretty much,” the brunette winks at the taller girl and grabs the basketball from the ground. She takes another shot, and once again misses by a long shot. “Speaking of uniforms, basketball tryouts are next week. You really should think about trying out. We’d get to see each other a lot.”

“You trying out too, Michael Jordan?” The redhead smirks at the brunette. Waverly just rolls her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips.

“So what if I was? You afraid of a little competition, Haught?” Waverly walks to where the ball landed and picks it up. Nicole watches fondly as the brunette attempts to dribble.

“If we are going to be on the same team, I need you to at least know how to shoot so we can win some games. I'm sure I would have to carry the whole team on my back, so I’ll teach you a few things so I won’t have to carry you too. Lighten my load a bit,” the redhead jokes as she walks toward the brunette who is mumbling something about her being cocky. She holds her hands out in front of her and Waverly places the ball in her awaiting hands.

“Okay, turn around.” The brunette does as she’s told and Nicole presses her front up against Waverly’s back. She hands the ball back to the brunette and helps her position her hands on it. “So your left will go on the side of the ball and your right hand will go under it,” Nicole whispers in Waverly’s ear and smirks when the smaller girl shivers a bit. Nicole covers both of Waverly’s hands with her own, trying to ignore the jolts of electricity that shoot through her body at the contact. “You’ll wanna bend your knees a bit,” The taller girl drops one of her hands down so she can tap the side of Waverly's leg. When the brunette bends her knees, Nicole does as well, and then she brings her hand back up to cover the cheerleader’s right one. “You wanna make sure your body is facing the goal. Now drop your right elbow down a bit and then stand up straight at the same time that you extend your right arm to the goal,” Nicole coaches as she uses her own body to guide Waverly’s. When the taller girl extends her right arm, causing the brunette to do the same, the ball goes soaring toward the rim. When it drops into the net with a swoosh, Waverly turns around and faces the redhead, a huge smile on her face.

Nicole’s breath hitches at the sight. What a beautiful day it is when hazel moons decide to make an appearance even though the sun is still out. “You did it!” The redhead scoops Waverly up and spins her around once before setting her back on her own two feet.

“We do make a pretty good team, Haught.” Waverly runs her fingers through her brown locks. “But I think I’ll leave the basketball playing to you and just stick with what I’m good at.”

“Magic tricks?” The redhead winks and Waverly just laughs loudly. The brunette makes a mental note to ask Nicole what made her tell the redhead that she was a magician.

“Cheerleading.” The brunette walks forward until she's standing directly in front of Nicole. She stands on her tip toes and places a lingering kiss to the redhead’s cheek. “Thank you again for last night and for the beautiful poem.” Waverly’s lips render Nicole completely speechless and so she just nods. The brunette lowers herself back down after a few seconds and starts backpedaling in the direction of the truck. “Can’t wait to see how you look in baby blue and white,” the cheerleader calls back, referring to their school colors.

"How do you know I’ll even make the team, Earp?” Nicole finds her voice once Waverly is no longer kissing her cheek.

“You already know that I’m a magician,” the brunette smirks, “But did you know that I’m also a psychic as well? I’m a woman of many talents, Nicole Haught.”

“I’ll bet,” the redhead whispers as she watches her soulmate saunter off in the direction that she came from.

* * *

The next day, Waverly walks out of her last class before lunch with a permanent smile on her face. Something about the prior morning with Nicole, at the redhead's house, made her feel a way she had never felt before. She knows she has feelings for the redhead, even if at times she’s tried to deny it, but she isn’t sure she’s ready to measure how deep those feelings run. She is excited, incredibly excited actually, because she has a plan for this lunch period. She’s going to figure out where Nicole sneaks off to, whether the redhead likes it or not. She has a feeling the older girl won’t mind though. 

She’s so lost in her thoughts that she completely misses the girl with a black leather jacket and red hair leaning against the locker adjacent to hers. She opens her locker and shoves some of her books inside, stuck in her own little daze and oblivious to the world around her.

“Damn, I’m starting to think I’m just invisible to you now if I’m not in my work uniform,” the redhead jokes as she stares ahead at the smaller girl in front of her. 

Waverly jumps and throws her hand over her chest that's now heaving from being startled. “ _Jesus fucking Christ_ ,” she shrieks. Meanwhile, Nicole is doubled over from laughing so hard, one hand clutching at her stomach while the other is propped up against the locker door. 

“Oh my God, oh my God, so good, that’s so good,” Nicole gasps between laughing fits. Under normal circumstances, Waverly probably would have feigned annoyance or joked back. However, after the train of thought she was currently in, all she can imagine is Nicole breathing out those words for a completely different reason, and that sends a shiver down her spine. 

Nicole notices the dazed look on the girl's face and immediately grows concerned. “Waves? Are you alright?” she asks worriedly, placing a comforting hand on one of her shoulders. 

Waverly snaps out of her thoughts and looks up at the taller girl, their faces a lot closer than she was anticipating. “Oh. Uh. Yeah, no I’m okay. Sorry, you just startled me a little. Are you sure _you’re_ not the magician?” she laughs it off, blushing and scooting back a little bit so she can return to her previous task of looking through her locker. 

Nicole continues to stare questioningly at her, concern still evident in her features. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out that much. You just seemed like you were in outer space or something. I was just about to ask when you started working for NASA,” she jokes, a smirk gracing her lips as she goes back to leaning her shoulder against the neighboring locker. 

“What can I say, I’ve always loved the stars,” Waverly replies, grabbing her lunch and closing the locker door. She turns to walk to the cafeteria, smiling when the redhead walks after her. 

“Well you know what they say. ‘The stars are mansions built by Nature's hand,” Nicole smoothly quotes, walking side by side with the shorter girl. 

Waverly smiles, recognizing the poem immediately. “Alright, William Wordsworth. I see someone's been brushing up on their poetry,” she teases. 

Nicole beams and looks down at the younger girl. She really wasn’t expecting her to get the reference. “Wait, you know that poem?”

Waverly turns and stops in the middle of the hall, noticing that the revelation stopped Nicole in her tracks. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good poet,” she winks, continuing her stride to the cafeteria. 

Nicole stands in her spot, awestruck, watching as the younger Earp walks away. “Well played, Earp. Well played,” she mumbles before turning around to head to her spot outside.

Waverly only turns around when she can no longer hear the girl’s steps beside her, and watches as she walks out of the building. _Interesting_. Waverly speed walks in the direction of the redhead, determined to catch up to her once she makes it to her destination. The brunette finds that she doesn’t have to walk far. She just walks out the door, takes a left, and walks about 10 feet. That’s when she sees the redhead sitting underneath a tree, her legs stretched out in front of her and a poetry book in her hands. 

“I should’ve known your spot would be under a tree,” Waverly smirks as she walks closer to where the redhead is sitting. When Nicole hears a soft voice interrupt her reading, she looks up and a gentle smile makes its way to her face when she sees the brunette.

“I’m a simple woman,” Nicole shrugs. “I love bikes, trees, and poetry.” Waverly just smiles and sits down adjacent to the redhead, her back to the girl’s legs. When she sets her lunchbox down on the ground, an idea pops into her head. Feeling a bit bold, she inches her body to the ground and rests her head on the redhead’s lap.

“Read me your favorites?” Waverly turns her head so that she’s looking up at Nicole.

“Aren’t you hungry?” The redhead furrows her eyebrows as she nods her head in the direction of Waverly’s lunchbox. 

“Aren’t you?” The brunette challenges.

“Touché,” Nicole laughs as she opens her poetry book again. “I’ll read you a few and then we can eat.” Waverly just nods, her hands resting on her stomach. Her eyes study the leaves on the tree as she listens to Nicole gently turn the pages of the poetry book. 

“Okay, I’m re-reading a favorite book of mine at the moment, so lucky for you, I already have my favorite poems bookmarked.” Nicole clears her throat before she begins to read. “ _And then my soul saw you and it kind of went ‘Oh there you are. I’ve been looking for you.'_ ” 

“Ah yes, the poetry book that was the topic of our first conversation. A classic.” Waverly tears her eyes away from the sky and offers the redhead a bright smile that could easily outshine the sun. Nicole smiles fondly as the memory of their first meeting plays in her head. The redhead flips to the next poem she wants to read. Writing has always been the method she uses for communicating her feelings, and today is no different. However, today she is just using someone else’s writing.

“ _It may have just been a moment to you, but it changed every single one that followed for me,_ ” the redhead reads and Waverly feels chills cover her entire body. She knows it’s a poem, but she can’t help but feel that it was also Nicole responding to what she just said. Waverly doesn’t know how to respond, so she just continues to lay in silence and listen as Nicole reads her favorite poems. The silence is comfortable, almost like sitting under trees and reading poetry is something they’ve been doing together all their lives.

“ _I think you’ll find you’re mistaken. My name is clearly written across the front and I recognize the scratch down the side (that happened in high school). This is my heart. You can’t just come here, and take it._ ”

“God, I remember reading that one for the first time. Some poems stand out to me so much that I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I read them for the first time,” Waverly replies as she absentmindedly plays with her fingers. “That was one of them.”

“I know what you mean,” Nicole replies back as she flips to the next bookmarked page. She smiles when she reads the title of the poem. The redhead told Waverly that she was re-reading a favorite book of hers, but what she failed to mention was how many times she’s read this book in the past. She could probably recite the whole book out loud if she wanted to. Brown eyes leave the page of the book and focus on the beautiful brunette in front of them. Nicole wants to tell Waverly she knows they are soulmates, but she also knows the brunette already knows and since she hasn’t said anything, Nicole assumes that she just doesn't see her as anything more than a friend. The redhead shakes herself from her thoughts and clears her throat. “ _And their shape and their hair and their eyes and their smell and their voice. That suddenly, these things can exist and you’re not quite sure how they existed without you knowing about them before._ ” 

Feeling eyes on her, the brunette turns to look at Nicole as she reads, only to find that she’s not reading at all. She’s reciting, her eyes trained on Waverly.

* * *

By the time their creative writing class rolls around, they’re both absolutely exhausted. Both of their days have been long, and for some reason it felt like all of their teachers got together and plotted against them, giving them an abundance of homework. 

Waverly leans her head down on her palm, her elbow resting on top of the desk. She looks over at Nicole, who appears to be doodling in her notebook instead of actually taking notes. She looks back up at the board, trying to immerse herself in the lesson on dead poetry Mrs. Lucado is giving. 

Nicole looks over at the brunette, smirking when she sees her eyelids starting to droop. At least she isn’t the only one bored out of her mind. She scribbles a few words on the edge of her paper, rips it off, folds it, and sets it on top of the desk next to hers. 

Waverly looks down at the small piece of paper with a quirked brow and then looks questioningly at the redhead. Nicole casually shrugs her shoulders, looking back down at her notebook with a smirk. Waverly unfolds the paper and reads the neat letters. ‘ _Kill me now_ ’. The brunette snorts quietly, looking over at the older girl who just dramatically drops her head to her desk and quietly bangs her forehead against it a few times for good measure. 

Waverly stifles a giggle behind her hand, looking around to make sure no one is watching them. Thank God they chose the back row. She ponders for a moment on what to write back, but then her mind goes back to a previous conversation she had with Nicole. She writes a note back on the back of the paper, quickly tossing it onto the redhead’s desk and looking up at the board as if nothing is happening. 

Nicole looks up at her from where her head is resting on the desk before grabbing the note and reading it. ‘ _Just give me time to gather up some vultures first. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your morbid after death plan that you so randomly told me about after we had to write the two grief poems._ ’ 

Nicole tries her best not to laugh as she writes out her response on a new piece of paper. Waverly grabs it from her hand before she can even set it on her desk, causing Nicole to chuckle softly at her eagerness. 

‘ _It’s ecologically conscious,_ ’ is written next to a poorly drawn shrugging stick figure. There's an extra note at the bottom that reads, ‘ _Plus you gotta admit, it sounds SO sexy ;)_ ’ Waverly can’t help the squeak that escapes her lips, which is a little louder than she thought it would be. Nicole slams her hand over her own mouth to smother her own laugh. 

They both snap their heads up at the sound of a throat clearing in the front of the classroom. “Anything you’d like to share with the class ladies?” Mrs. Lucado speaks. Their eyes widen as they look back and forth between the teacher and each other, all of their classmates now staring at them. 

“Uh…” Waverly stutters, lost for all words and embarrassed beyond belief. 

Nicole looks over at the flustered brunette, immediately feeling guilty for putting her in this situation. “It was my fault. I was asking her a question about a poem and I made a dumb joke. Nothing to stop class over, ma’am,” Nicole quickly tries to amend the situation. 

Mrs. Lucado squints at her and eyes her suspiciously, obviously not believing her. “Mhmm. Don’t let it happen again, Miss Haught, otherwise you’ll be seeing me after class. Do I make myself clear?” she asks sternly.

Nicole nods her head fervently. “Crystal, ma’am.”

Mrs. Lucado nods once before resuming her lecture, all of the other students looking back toward the front. Nicole turns and looks over at Waverly sheepishly. ‘ _Crystal,_ ’ Waverly mouths, mocking the blushing redhead. 

Nicole glares at the girl, trying to hide the smile blooming on her face at the tease. ‘ _Shut it,_ ’ she mouths back, causing the brunette to giggle silently. Oh yeah, they were so getting in trouble again by the end of this class. But if getting in trouble means that she gets to hear Waverly laugh, she’d get in trouble every second of every day.


	7. Chapter 7

The wind is cold against Nicole’s cheek, but she likes the sting on her skin. It only enhances the feeling of freedom that she feels when she is alone in the woods. The cold, biting wind, the moon over the horizon as she walks, the stars shining in the sky. A quiet Wednesday night. Not a single soul around. Just how she likes it. 

She’s coming back from her and Waverly’s spot. _Her_ spot. When the hell did she start calling it _their_ spot? Nicole has her bike parked outside of the tree line, close by the homestead. Normally, she would just drive to the spot, but she felt like a little walking tonight could do her some good. 

As she walks near the treeline, she looks over at the side of the homestead, taking in the wood furnishings of the home. It’s a nice place, a little small, but considering the Earp's don’t have a huge family, it’s fine for them.

She continues walking toward her bike, listening to the world around her as she remains deep in thought. She hears the cracking of a twig behind her, so quiet that she almost doesn’t notice it. She whips around, turning to face nothing but more land and trees. 

Nicole puffs out a breath of air, seeing it appear in front of her as a small cloud of smoke. It’s starting to get colder outside since November is only a few weeks away. She shoves her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket and pulls it tighter around her before turning back around to continue her trek. 

A few moments later, she hears the sound of leaves crunching behind her. She whips around again, this time facing more of the woods. Still, nothing. She sighs in frustration. Maybe she is more tired than she thought she was. She turns around again, but only makes it a few steps before hearing the sound of a gun fire and a whimper. 

She quickly turns around and comes face to face with a wolf, now lying dead on the ground. She turns to her left, looking toward the homestead. Now that she’s made it farther up the land, she can see the front porch. She locks eyes with Wynonna, who’s holding a smoking gun. Wynonna nods her head at Nicole once, placing the gun back in her boot. Nicole nods back, still frozen in place and not sure what to do. 

She sees the front door swing open and a man with a wild mustache comes barreling through the door with a pair of pistols pointed aimlessly at the land. He looks around in confusion before setting his gaze on Wynonna. 

“Easy there, cowboy,” she hears Wynonna say from across the land. Nicole watches as the man's face relaxes and the brunette lightly pushes him in the house, her following suit. The door closes behind the two, Nicole’s mind still whirling. 

_'That must be Doc,’_ Nicole thinks, turning back to survey the animal lying on the ground. She looks over the scene, analyzing all of the details. _‘Obviously the wolf was causing the noises I was hearing,’_ she thinks to herself. 

She looks over at a nearby tree, noticing the bullet lodged into the bark. _Wait_. Nicole walks toward the tree trying to get a better look at the bullet. She reaches into her pocket and grasps her pocket knife. She flicks out the blade, reaching forward to carve the bullet out of the bark.

Once it’s out, she cradles it in her palm, examining the small piece of metal. “ _What the hell..._ ” she mutters to herself, her brain attempting to comprehend the situation. Nothing makes any sense. 

After her mom died, Nicole became invested in her case. She went as far as to collect pieces of news articles and police records she could access. Practically _anything_ she could get her hands on. She read all of the information so many times that she basically had all of the information memorized. It’s one of the reasons she was able to recognize Wynonna so quickly when she saw her in the parking lot after school on her first day. She had seen a 15 year old version of that face a million times in her files. 

Something else she would be able recognize immediately based on the pictures: _the bullet_. The gun used in her moms murder took 10 mm bullets, but from the looks of the fragmented metal in her palm, Peacemaker takes .45 colts. The only reason she can even distinguish the two bullets is because of how completely different they look. That and her dad had a fascination with guns. 

Maybe Wynonna just didn’t use her gun that night? Hell, maybe she didn’t even have her gun back then. She was fifteen for Christ's sake. ‘ _But if that were the case, how would she have shot my mom,_ ’ Nicole thinks, slowly walking back toward her bike again. 

Doc has guns, and they are pistols. Maybe they take 10 mm bullets and he had let Wynonna borrow one that night? He is older, so it makes sense for him to maybe have guns back then. Maybe he was even there with her or something, and he fled so she was the one who got caught? Nicole is spiraling. Nothing is adding up. Nothing is making sense to her anymore.

She was able to end her obsession with her mom’s murder a long time ago when she had been in so deep. She wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t eating. She couldn’t focus on anything else. Finally she had had enough. She found poetry, and that was her escape. Whenever she felt herself thinking about everything again, she would dive into a poetry book instead of case files. But now that this is opening up again, she is worried about how far she will go this time. Especially because this is a completely different circumstance. 

She makes it back to her bike and throws her helmet over her head, reaching over to straddle the bike. She revs the engine, determining what her next course of action is going to be. She’s going to find a way to check the bullets in Doc’s gun. She can only pray they match up, because if they don’t, this is going to be ten times worse.

The redhead drives her bike into town and parks it at a flower shop that she knows Waverly frequents often. Part 1 of her plan. After she turns her bike off, she retrieves her phone from the pocket of her leather jacket. On her ride over, she thought of a brilliant plan for checking the bullets in Doc’s gun. Part 2 of her plan is to shoot Waverly a text asking if they can work on their creative writing project at the homestead since it’s getting a bit cold out. Once the text is sent, she waits on her bike for the response. When a ‘sure! text me when you’re on your way?’ text pops up, she smiles widely and hops off her bike. Studying at the homestead will allow her to find out what she wants to know about Doc and will allow her to get to know more about the brunette that occupies 98 percent of her thoughts. So it’s a win win for her.

Once she has a bouquet of flowers in tow, she sends the brunette a text to let her know she’s heading over. The least she could do is bring the cheerleader some flowers since she did practically invite herself over. That’s for sure the _only_ reason she’s bringing them. It’s not like she’s been thinking about Waverly’s smile and things she can say or do to make her smile more all day or anything.

When Nicole arrives at the homestead, she parks her bike and hops off. Flowers in hand, she walks up the steps and knocks on the door. Her smile falters when the door swings open and it’s not the Earp she was expecting. Not knowing what to say, Nicole just opens and closes her mouth. Wynonna looks down at the flowers and then back up at the redhead.

“If you wanted to properly thank me for saving your life, whiskey would have sufficed. Not really a bouquet of flowers kind of girl.” 

“These are for your-” Nicole stops talking when the older Earp just retreats back into the house. She does, however, leave the door open and the redhead takes that as her invitation to come in. 

“Wave is upstairs.” The brunette points to the staircase on their left as she plops herself down on the couch. 

“Thank you,” Nicole nods once before making her way up the stairs. When she walks in, she sees Waverly standing on her bed, attempting to hang what looks like window curtains. Nicole just stands at the door with an amused grin on her face as she waits for the brunette to notice her existence. When Waverly steals a glance her way, the brunette gasps and almost falls off the bed.

“Oh, Jesus!” Waverly places a hand over her chest as she tries to slow down her heart rate.

Nicole just lifts her hands in the air. “Okay, I knocked. And then I had somewhat of a conversation with your sister, so…”

“I think you’re trying to kill me, Haught.” The brunette steps down from the bed. “And here I was thinking that you were actually starting to like me,” Waverly jokes and Nicole blushes at just how accurate her words are.

“You caught me. Actually brought these to lay on your grave after I kill you,” Nicole jokes back and Waverly rolls her eyes playfully as she takes the flowers from the redhead and smells them. 

“They are beautiful, Nic. Thank you.” Waverly admires the flowers before locking eyes with Nicole again. 

“An apology for getting you in trouble in creative writing class the other day.” The redhead takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

“I think we should both be giving a bouquet to Mrs. Lucado,” the cheerleader chuckles as she sets the flowers down on her dresser and sits down beside Nicole on the bed. 

The redhead just shrugs. “Eh, I’ll snag her an apple from work and take it to her.”

“Please for the love of God, do _not_ do that. I want to pass this class.” Waverly pinches the bridge of her nose and Nicole just laughs. “However, speaking of work why-”

“Nope,” Nicole interrupts her. The redhead knows _exactly_ what was about to come out of her mouth. “No uniform jokes tonight. I think we have some poems to write, Shakespeare.” The redhead shrugs her backpack off and retrieves her notebook and a pencil from it. The girls spend the next hour attempting to write poems for their project. Attempting is the key word.

“You look mighty deep in thought over there, Haught,” Waverly interrupts their comfortable silence. Nicole looks up from her notebook and playfully rolls her eyes. The brunette can’t stay quiet to save her life, and the redhead finds it immensely endearing.

“Yeah, well, I’m _trying_ to get some work done.” Nicole sticks her tongue out at the brunette. “One of us has got to.”

Waverly gasps dramatically and shoves Nicole’s shoulder. “I’m working!” The brunette holds up her notebook and pencil like that should prove that she’s actually doing work. Nicole takes the notebook in her hands and reads the writing on the paper.

“All you’ve written on the paper is ‘soulmate’, Waves.” The redhead looks up at Waverly with a raised eyebrow. She tries to fight back a smile so she doesn’t break her serious facade.

“Yeah, well I’ve been brainstorming,” Waverly replies, and when she sees that Nicole doesn’t look convinced, she explains further. “In my head. They don’t call it _brainstorming_ for nothing.” Nicole cracks a smile and Waverly grabs the redhead’s notebook from her lap. “Lets see what Miss 'I never get distracted because I’m perfect’ wrote shall we?” The brunette allows her eyes to scan the paper and her heart speeds up at the words she reads in her head.

_my heart was lying in your hands_  
_long before your name was written on my skin_  
_my soul was falling in love with yours_  
_long before the ink appeared_  
_and my soul will love yours_  
_long after the ink fades_

“Nic, your words… they are beautiful.” Waverly looks softly at Nicole, her playful demeanor from a few seconds ago replaced by a more solemn one.

The redhead blushes and looks down at the bedspread. Waverly knows the redhead gets flustered when she’s complimented on her work or just in general, so she switches back to her playful attitude. “Who knew that the leather wearing baddie who drives a motorcycle is actually soft as hell?” The brunette pokes at Nicole’s slightly red cheeks with her pointer finger.

Nicole swats her hand away, and then starts tickling Waverly’s sides. The cheerleader yelps and tries to move away from the redhead’s hands, but Nicole straddles her hips and continues her tickle attack on the brunette.

“I surrender! I surrender!” Waverly yells in between laughs and Nicole stills her hands.

“Okay, now take back what you said about me being a softie.” The redhead props her hands beside Waverly’s head and the brunette leans up on her elbows.

“Fine,” the brunette sighs in defeat. “You aren’t soft. Just a bit gooey on the inside,” she whispers the last part, and Nicole cocks an eyebrow and hovers one of her hands over Waverly’s side. The brunette shrieks and intercepts the redhead’s hand with her own before it reaches her side. “Okay, okay. You aren’t soft. _There_.”

“Damn right I’m not,” the redhead whispers. It’s then she realizes just how close their faces are. Nicole can practically feel the brunette’s breath on her lips and she shivers. They both unconsciously interlace their fingers and when Waverly sees Nicole’s eyes drop to her lips, she pokes her tongue out to wet them. Before either of them can lean in, Waverly’s bedroom door swings open. Nicole falls off the side of the bed and hits the ground with a thud, meanwhile Waverly jumps up into a sitting position.

“Why were you two just wrestling?” Wynonna asks curiously.

“Cause when…” Nicole tries to form words.

“Yes,” Waverly answers as if Nicole just effectively explained to Wynonna what she just walked in on.

“Okay, weirdos. Well I just came to see if you two wanted me to go grab some food?” The older Earp looks between the two. Nicole just stands up from the floor and walks to the door before turning to face the two Earp sisters.

“I- uh need to use the bathroom. I’ll eat literally anything,” the redhead replies without thinking. Her face turns impossibly redder when she realizes what she said. Her eyes flicker over to where Waverly is sitting, but the girl is looking down at her bedspread, her face as red as Nicole’s feels. “Yeah… food is uh good with me, thanks.” She quickly leaves the room before she can embarrass herself more.

Nicole exits the room and takes a deep breath. She leans against the wall next to Waverly’s door and sighs. _‘What the actual fuck was that? Get it together Haught,’_ Nicole internally chastises herself. She looks down the hall and notices a door ajar and it peaks her curiosity. _‘Wait... maybe that’s Doc’s room.’_

The redhead walks down the hallway quietly, hoping to not draw attention to her snooping. She pushes the door open enough to enter the room and looks around carefully. She knows she doesn’t have much time before the Earp’s realize she’s not in the bathroom. 

She crosses the bedroom, checking any spots she sees along the way that could possibly hold Doc’s guns. She reaches one of the bedside tables, bending down to be eye level with the drawer. She opens it slowly, peering inside to see a pair of pistols. “Bingo,” Nicole whispers, reaching inside for one of the guns. 

She takes out one of the bullets, but before she can get a good look at it, she hears Wynonna’s voice from down the hall. 

“Shit shit shit,” Nicole hisses, shoving the gun back into the drawer and closing it quickly. She stands up and rushes over to the door. Luckily, she sticks her hand in her pocket to hide the bullet right before Wynonna’s face appears in front of Nicole’s in the doorway.

“Uhh, what are you doing in Doc’s room?” Wynonna asks in confusion. She peeks her head through the opening in the door and looks around the room, as if that will solve the mystery. 

Nicole speaks up before Wynonna can probe. “I- I got lost. I thought this might have been the bathroom. I’m suddenly realizing I have no clue where it is,” she laughs awkwardly, trying to relieve the tension. 

Wynonna squints her eyes at the redhead suspiciously. “Does this _look_ like the bathroom to you, Haught?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the door frame.

Nicole shakes her head fervently. “Nope, it definitely does not,” she confirms, eyes wide.

Wynonna smirks at the pure terror on Nicole’s features. “Next door over, Haught-head.” Wynonna hooks a thumb over her shoulder and stands up straight. “Better not be snooping or anything,” she jokes, before walking away to head toward the living room.

Nicole waits a moment until she can no longer hear the girl’s footsteps and she sighs. _‘That was way too close,’_ she thinks. She slides out of the room, fixing the door back to how it was before. She walks over to the room next door before quickly slipping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. 

She pulls the bullet out of her pocket, holding it in her palm as she moves it around. Just from one glance she can tell immediately that _this_ isn’t the same bullet either. “This is a 38…” she murmurs, “the bullet that killed mom is a 10 millimeter. What the fuck…” She shakes her head and shoves the bullet back in her pocket. She feels the sting of tears behind her eyes and grimaces, quickly wiping at her eyes. 

She exits the bathroom, intent on talking to Wynonna about what the _fuck_ is going on. When she walks to the living room, she notices Waverly throwing on her jacket and grabbing the keys to the truck. 

“Hey, Wynonna decided she was feeling lazy, so I guess that means you and I get to go grab the pizza. Is that okay?” Waverly asks from her spot by the door.

Nicole is about to say yes when a thought hits her, a thought that’s too good to resist. “Actually, I think I might stay here. Hang out with your sister a bit, yeah?”

Waverly raises her eyebrows, shock evident on her face. Even Wynonna turns around from her spot on the couch and is suddenly tuning into the conversation. “Wait, really?” Waverly asks in surprise. 

Nicole shrugs nonchalantly, as if this isn't a big deal at all. “I mean yeah, why not. I’m always with you, so might as well get to know your sister, right?” 

Waverly keeps her eyebrows raised, a small smile beginning to play at her lips at the effort the redhead is trying to put in. “Yeah, I guess so,” she breathes. Nicole matches her smile and the two stand there, smiling and staring at each other from across the room. 

Wynonna looks on from her spot between them, her confusion clear as day. “Uhh, guys?” Wynonna speaks up slowly, bringing the high schoolers out of their daze. 

Nicole looks down quickly and Waverly shakes her head and turns to open the door. “Right,” she nods, putting her mind back on track. “I’ll be back with pizza in about thirty minutes. You two be good,” she winks over her shoulder. She exits the house and exhales, almost glad for the trip alone after the events that had unfolded in her bedroom with the taller girl. “Fuck,” she whispers as she walks toward the truck. 

Nicole stands in the living room near Wynonna. They're both staring at each other, daring the other to speak. Nicole can see the gears turning in the brunette’s head, so she decides to end the girl’s confusion. 

The redhead reaches into her pocket, causing Wynonna to quirk an eyebrow at her. She pulls out the bullet, holding it up for the older girl to see. “Explain,” she demands, her face hard. Despite how in control and strong she looks on the outside, on the inside she’s screaming in fear.

The older Earp looks at the bullet, a small smirk playing at her lips. “Well, that’s a bullet, Red. They typically use those in guns…” she trails off, a sparkle in her eyes. _Smartass_. 

Nicole shakes her head slowly as she draws her bottom lip between her teeth. She wants to play? Okay, Nicole can do that too. 

“Cut the shit, Wynonna,” she says sternly, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the staircase railing. 

Wynonna shakes her head as well and drapes an arm across the back of the couch, getting more comfortable when she starts to see the redhead’s composure crumble. “Dude, what are you even talking about?”

Nicole exhales forcefully, growing more irritated. Wynonna is insufferable. How Waverly turned out the way she did is a damn miracle. 

“This bullet, belongs to Doc’s gun,” Nicole supplies, tossing it onto the couch beside Wynonna. Wynonna glances down as the bullet lands on the empty seat next to her, but she looks up again when Nicole pushes her body off the railing and steps closer. “It wasn’t a match. Neither was yours from your big ass gun,” she spits, taking another step toward the brunette.

Wynonna scrunches her eyebrows. “You mean, this big ass gun?” she asks slowly. Warningly. She slowly pivots her leg, allowing the gun in her boot to showcase and make an appearance. 

Nicole winces slightly, stopping in her tracks. _Shit._

Wynonna snickers. “Relax kid, it doesn’t bite. Unless I make it,” she winks. Her mind catches up with the previous conversation, and she grows confused again. “Wait, not a match for what?”

Nicole starts breathing heavily as the room starts to spin. _‘Keep it together. You’re almost done, Haught'_ She takes a deep breath in, urging the words from her throat. “A match to the bullet that killed my mother,” she says with conviction. More conviction than she felt in that moment. 

Nicole watches as Wynonna’s face falls. Any playfulness from the game she thought she was playing is gone, replaced with a somber face and distant eyes. Nicole almost doesn’t recognize her as her mood shifts. Well that is unexpected. 

“I-” Wynonna stutters, unsure of how to approach this subject. She attempts a joking smirk, but this one doesn’t hold the same mirth from before. “What makes you think I used one of those guns, huh?” 

Nicole shakes her head, understanding Wynonna’s false bravado as a defense mechanism. She has the older Earp scared, and that gives her the confidence she needs. “Did you?” she asks skeptically, having a feeling she already knows the answer. 

Wynonna huffs out a laugh, shaking her head slightly at the redhead’s boldness. “No. I didn’t. I didn’t even have a gun with me that night,” she whispers, just loud enough for Nicole to hear her. 

Nicole’s eyebrows skyrocket to her hairline. Well, that was even _more_ unexpected. “What?” Nicole breathes, eyes wide and unfocused.

Wynonna sighs, patting the spot next to her on the couch and shifting over to make more room. Nicole looks at her skeptically, but steps forward nonetheless. She takes a seat next to the brunette, practically sitting on the armrest in order to keep a good distance between them.

“It wasn’t my gun that killed your mom. It actually wasn’t me at all,” Wynonna admits, watching the girl in front of her intently.

Nicole shakes her head vehemently, trying to make sense of everything. “No, _no_. You’re lying,” she accuses, venom lacing her voice.

Wynonna shakes her head sadly, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m not,” she chokes out. Nicole whips her head up and sees the sincerity in the Earp’s eyes. Her heart falls to her stomach and she feels her palms begin to sweat. This can’t be happening.

“Then… then… who the fuck killed my mom?” Nicole asks, her voice raised and shaky.

Wynonna sighs, removing her arm from the back of the couch and placing her forehead in her hands. “My sister.”

Nicole’s breath catches. _No_. “W- Waverly?” She asks in a small breath. She feels the tears sliding down her face now, but she has no energy to wipe them away.

Wynonna whips her head up. “ _No_. God no, she was only eleven. Plus, have you met that girl? She accidentally stepped on a ladybug the other day and I swear to God she almost started sobbing.”

Nicole lets out a breath of relief. “Oh thank God,” she thinks. Except, she accidentally says it out loud without realizing it.

Wynonna looks at her, a small smirk forming on her face. She exhales, preparing herself to have to give the whole story. Based on what she's heard about Nicole, she’s a good kid. And she obviously cares about Waverly. She deserves the truth.

“How much do you know about my family's past?” Wynonna starts.

Nicole shrugs, wiping at her cheeks and eyes. “I- I know your dad was an alcoholic. Your mom left, then so did he. You guys had to fend for yourselves.”

“So Waverly’s told you a bit then, huh?” Wynonna nods, a little surprised by how much Waverly has shared with the redhead. Normally Waverly’s a very outgoing girl, but when it comes to her past, she shuts down. She keeps it all in and doesn’t talk to anyone about it. At least until now it looks like.

Nicole nods in response. “Yeah. We talk about a lot of things."

There’s silence for a moment, before the brunette hums in approval. “Good. She trusts you. Don’t ruin that,” she advises.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Nicole replies with conviction.

Wynonna squints at the redhead for a minute before determining she’s being honest. “Well, because of all that, Willa and I had to help provide for the house. Doc would help as much as he could. Except, at the time, I was stubborn and tried keeping him at arm's length in case he left too,” she explains.

Nicole stares intently as Wynonna continues with the story, explaining the events of that night in full detail. Details Nicole had never known. Details that drew pictures in the redhead’s mind much more vivid than the ones she had before.

At the end, Nicole gives up holding back her tears. They’re streaming down her face steadily, that night now a fresh movie in her mind. “I don’t understand. If it was Willa and not you, Waverly would have told me,” Nicole whispers, mainly to herself, but Wynonna hears regardless.

The older Earp shakes her head quickly. “No, Waverly doesn’t know. She thinks I did it, and it’s going to stay that way. It _has_ to stay that way, Nicole.”

Nicole looks up when she hears her first name come from Wynonna’s lips. They haven't interacted much, but she knows enough to know that if she isn’t calling her some dumb, punny nickname, she is being dead serious. “I- I don’t understand-”

“You want to protect her, right?” Wynonna interrupts.

Nicole nods her head fervently. “Of course.”

“That’s how. She can’t find out about this conversation, Haught. Understand?” Wynonna says sternly.

Nicole bites her lips, contemplating her options. She doesn’t want to keep things from Waverly, but if Wynonna thinks it needs to stay a secret, there must be a reason. “If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you tell her?”

Wynonna sighs. “I took the blame to begin with because I knew Willa would get a harsher sentence because she’s older. I thought she’d go straight home to Waverly like I asked and take care of her, but she didn’t.” The brunette runs a hand through her hair. “I wanted to tell her so many times. Every time I would build courage to tell her, I would look into those trusting eyes of hers and I would just panic. I was the only sister she had. How could I tell her that I had been lying to her for most of her life? I was scared. I didn’t wanna lose her. I _can’t_ lose her.”

Nicole just nods. She hasn’t even known Waverly for long and the thought of losing the brunette scares the shit out of her too. She can’t imagine how Wynonna must feel. “You did what you thought was right, Earp. She’ll forgive you.

“Maybe. Maybe not. But Haught, please, you cannot tell her about this conversation,” the brunette pleads.

Nicole’s quiet for a moment. The last thing she wants is to ruin the trust Waverly has in her, but this also doesn’t seem like something that should come from her. “Then she won’t know. Not from me.”

Wynonna nods once before standing up from the couch and stretching, subtly wiping at her own tear stained cheeks. She’s planning on ending the conversation there until a thought pops in her head. A thought she forgot about a long time ago. “Oh, uh, Nicole. One last thing.”

Nicole stands up as well and clears her throat. “Yeah?”

Wynonna shifts on the balls of her feet, her nerves skyrocketing. Telling Nicole the story is one thing, but giving her a personal message from her mother? That’s something entirely more difficult.

“Uh... your mom actually had something she wanted me to tell you. I didn’t really think about it ‘til now,” Wynonna admits.

Nicole inhales sharply. Her mom had a message, for her? “Oh,” Nicole breathes. “I- uh… what was it she wanted to- umm… to tell me?” she stutters, any string of coherent words leaving her mind.

Wynonna shoves her hands in her pockets, looking down at the ground as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “She told me to find you, and to tell you not to be mad and vengeful. She also said you could be a hothead sometimes and she didn’t want you to let that ruin your heart.” Normally, the brunette would have made a joke, but she knows now isn’t an appropriate time.

Tears burn in Nicole’s eyes, blurring the world around her. “Thank you, Wynonna. I actually really needed that, more than you know.”

Wynonna meets Nicole’s eyes, sending her a small smile. “Don’t mention it, kid. It’s the least I could do considering… yeah, you know.”

Nicole nods, wiping the last few tears from her face. She exhales shakily. “Oh man. Well, that was somethin’ huh?” she jokes, releasing a watery chuckle.

Wynonna returns the laugh and shakes her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yeah, yeah it was. And honestly? I feel a lot better now that you know,” she admits.

Nicole smiles. “Me too.” She thinks for a moment before reaching out her hand toward the older girl. Wynonna looks at the offered hand curiously. “Truce?” Nicole asks.

Wynonna looks back up to meet Nicole’s eyes and smirks. “Truce,” she agrees, grabbing the hand in front of her and shaking it. Nicole’s smile widens, but before she can pull her hand away, Wynonna squeezes a little harder than necessary. This causes Nicole to wince and look at Wynonna in confusion. “Besides, if you’re gonna have the hots for my sister, we’re gonna have to be on good terms.”

Nicole’s eyes widen in shock as she pulls her hand away. “I- what? What are you talking about? I don’t have feelings for your sister,” she laughs awkwardly, rubbing the hand that had just been abused.

A slow smile forms over Wynonna’s face, a mischievous look in her eyes. “No one ever said anything about feelings now did they?” she smirks.

Nicole stammers, completely at a loss for words. She officially has no idea how to respond to Wynonna.

“Besides,” Wynonna continues, “your face is redder than your hair and I have eyes. She likes you too, ya know. I can see it. You make her happy,” the older sister admits.

Nicole’s face lights up at that. “Wait, you think so?”

The brunette scoffs, “I _know_ so. Plus, I’m always right.”

The redhead pauses and looks down. She wants to believe Wynonna, but she also doesn’t want to get her hopes up. “If that’s the case, why hasn’t she told me we’re soulmates?” she mumbles to herself. However, Wynonna overhears her again.

“Ahh, so you know about that, huh?”

Nicole whips her head up to look up at the Earp. “Oh, uh, yeah. But she doesn’t know, so…”

Wynonna nods once in understanding. “Then she won’t know. Not from me,” she smiles, repeating Nicole’s words from earlier. Nicole smiles back. “But between you and me, I think you should say something to her. Waverly is a smart girl, but when she’s nervous and scared, she overthinks things and gets so far in her head it’s ridiculous.”

Nicole lets the information sink in for a moment. “And if she doesn’t feel the same?” she asks, hearing the vulnerability in her own voice.

“She will,” Wynonna comforts, attempting to reassure the redhead.

Nicole takes a deep breath in, processing the new information. “Okay. Okay, I’ll talk to her.”

“Talk to who?” Waverly asks before closing the front door.

“No one,” both Wynonna and Nicole say simultaneously before turning to face the brunette in the doorway.

Waverly looks at the two in confusion. “O-kayyy?” The brunette replies skeptically as she makes her way toward the kitchen with the large pizza in her hand.

“Pepperoni and olives?” Wynonna asks from her spot in the living room.

“Extra olives, actually,” Waverly shouts from the kitchen.

Wynonna’s face lights up. “Hell yeah, baby girl, you’re the best!”

Nicole freezes for a moment. “Baby girl?”

Wynonna turns to look at the redhead. “Oh, umm, your mom called me that, actually. That night.”

Waverly, having heard the conversation from the kitchen, immediately walks into the living room. She's worried about how Nicole is going to react to Wynonna talking about her mom.

Nicole smiles at the older Earp, which shocks Waverly instantly. “She used to call me that too,” Nicole whispers, causing Wynonna to smile and nod at her.

“Umm, what happened with you two?” Waverly asks as she stays leaning against the wall.

Wynonna turns to her sister and smirks. “Nothing, just that Haught officially likes me more now.”

Nicole rolls her eyes and Waverly immediately looks at the redhead with her eyebrows raised.

“That’s not true. You’re my favorite Earp and you know it,” Nicole offers the cheerleader a wink.

Waverly smiles at the words. “I better be.” She turns around and walks back into the kitchen to grab plates for dinner.

Wynonna looks at Nicole in faux offense, placing her hand over her heart. “Damn Haught, you wound me.

Nicole is about to joke back when she hears a knock at the door. Waverly emerges from the kitchen with a confused look on her face and she starts to walk to the door, but Wynonna stands up and blocks her path.

“I’m not expecting anyone, and I don’t think you are either. Let me get it.” The older Earp grabs Peacemaker from her boot and makes her way to the door. When she opens it, her jaw nearly hits the ground. When Wynonna stands frozen by the doorway, Waverly makes her way over to her sister.

“Nonna, who is-” The brunette’s voice trails off when she sees who is at the door. “Willa.”

The older girl at the door speaks up at the look of shock on everyone's face. “Hi, sisters. Did you miss me?”


	8. Chapter 8

“I’m going to take your silence as a yes,” Willa pushes past her sisters and invites herself into the homestead. “Well this place is just as shitty and rundown as I remember,” The oldest Earp says as she runs her fingertips across the top of a picture frame before bringing her fingers to her lips and blowing the dust off of them. 

“And you are still an asshole. Just as I remember,” Wynonna chimes in as she shuts the door and walks to where her sister is standing. “What do you want, Willa? Why are you here?”

“I just missed my sisters. Does that make me a bad person?” The brunette turns around and smiles at the two girls.

“No, but killing does,” Nicole whispers to herself as she stands up and walks to Waverly’s side. The redhead doesn’t trust the older Earp as far as she can throw her and she sure as hell won’t let her hurt yet another person that she cares about. 

“No, but abandoning us when we needed you the most does.” Waverly crosses her arms over her chest. “You’re no better than momma or daddy.” Waverly leans into Nicole’s side a bit in an attempt to seek comfort. The redhead immediately wraps an arm around the brunette’s waist and pulls her a bit closer to her side. Nicole knows Waverly moved closer to her for moral support and it eases the redhead’s worries to know that Waverly is close to her just in case Willa tries something. The closeness of the redhead and the brunette doesn’t go unnoticed by the older Earp and she narrows her eyes at the strong hand that is wrapped around her sister’s waist.

“Well I’m here aren’t I? I came back and they didn’t.” Willa offers them a tight lipped smile.

“Unfortunately,” Nicole whispers and Waverly looks up at her with a bewildered expression. She knows the redhead knows that her sister left, but she didn’t expect her to be this riled up at the situation they are in. If she’s being honest, the brunette thinks it’s kinda hot actually. She loves how protective Nicole is acting toward her. 

“So since I came back, I think that does make me a little better than them.” Willa ruffles Waverly’s hair and the youngest brunette slaps her sister’s hand away. 

“I’m going to my room,” Waverly announces before walking up the stairs and away from her oldest sister.

“Always the dramatic one.” Willa rolls her eyes and Nicole clenches her jaw.

“I’ll show you dramatic…” The redhead takes a step forward, but Wynonna places her hand on Nicole’s chest to stop her.

“Why don’t you go make sure baby girl is okay, yeah? I’ll deal with this, Big Red.” Wynonna gently pats the redhead on the chest and pushes her in the direction of the stairs. Nicole hasn’t taken her eyes off Willa, but when her ankles hit the bottom of the stairs, she tears her eyes away from her and looks at the middle Earp. “Go. Please?” The brunette whispers and Nicole just nods her head and jogs up the stairs before she ends up doing something she’ll regret.

“Who the fuck was that and who does she think she is talking to me like that in my own home?” Willa asks Wynonna as Nicole disappears up the stairs.

“She’s a friend of Waverly’s and this isn’t your home, Willa. It hasn’t been for a long time.” Wynonna walks to the kitchen and pours herself a glass of whiskey. 

“I came all this way to see you both and rekindle what we had and you treat me like this?” The oldest Earp crosses her arms and glares at her younger sister.

“What did you expect?” Wynonna yells. She quickly grabs her sister’s arm and drags her back onto the porch so Waverly doesn’t have to hear them fighting. “What did you expect, Willa? You murdered an innocent woman and when I took the blame for you because I thought you’d take care of Waverly, you just abandoned us both!”

“I was scared too!” The older Earp yells in Wynonna’s face.

“You weren’t too scared to pull the trigger were you?” Wynonna pinches the bridge of her nose. “We’re done here. I’m not rehashing the past with you any longer. You can sleep in the barn tonight until you find somewhere else to stay. We aren’t interested in rekindling anything.” The middle Earp walks inside and slams the homestead door before deadbolting it.

Waverly jumps when she hears the door slam downstairs and Nicole just continues to rub her hand up and down the brunette’s arm in an attempt to comfort her. Waverly raises her head from the redhead’s shoulder so she can look her in the eyes.

“Are you okay?” Waverly searches Nicole’s eyes for any sign that she’s not alright. 

“I should be asking you that, Waves.” Nicole smiles softly at the kind-hearted cheerleader. 

“The way you acted with Willa… it’s like you knew her,” the brunette replies and Nicole gulps.

_‘It’s not your secret to tell, Haught,’_ Nicole thinks. 

“When I figured out it was your sister, I just got so angry because I remembered everything you told me about her abandoning you both.” The redhead grabs one of Waverly’s hands in her own and interlaces their fingers. “I’m sorry for how I acted. I just saw her and everything in my body told me to go to you so I could make sure you were okay. So I could protect you from her. Protect you from getting hurt by her again.”

“Nicole Haught.” Waverly puts a finger under the redhead’s chin and tilts it up so that they are making eye contact again. “Don’t ever apologize for being worried about me or for wanting to protect me.” The redhead just nods and leans her face closer to Waverly’s. Nicole gently brushes her nose against the brunette’s before placing a tender kiss to the tip of it. Waverly flutters her eyes shut and when Nicole does the same, both girls feel something vibrating under the bed between them. 

“Waves… Did you forget to put your vibrator back in your drawer?” The redhead whispers before opening her eyes and looking at the brunette with a raised eyebrow.

“No!” Waverly shouts, the word coming out as a squeak. She quickly reaches under the cover and retrieves her vibrating cell phone. She shoves Nicole playfully before answering the phone and bringing it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Waves! Halloween party this weekend,” Chrissy says excitedly into the phone. “It is a costume party, so dress accordingly. See you at 9 on Saturday night. Muah!” Her best friend hangs up before she can get another word out.

“So…” Waverly drops her phone back to the bed and turns to face a still smirking Nicole. “How do you feel about Halloween parties?”

* * *

When Nicole walks into school on Friday morning, she’s completely and utterly exhausted. She had basketball tryouts the night before and didn’t make it home until late. _Plus_ she had to come to school early today to see the results. The thought of a nap during her first period has never sounded more appealing than it does now. 

“Hey stranger.”

Nicole turns when she hears the sound of Waverly’s voice from behind her. A smile instantly makes its way onto the redhead's face. “Well hey there, what are you doing here so early?” Nicole asks, leaning against her locker with her books clutched to her chest.

“I could ask you the same thing,” the brunette shoots back. She fiddles with the strap of her backpack as she smirks at the girl who is rolling her eyes in front of her. There is nothing Waverly loves more than annoying the older girl. “But since you asked, I wanted to see if you made the team.”

Nicole’s eyes soften at the thoughtfulness of the brunette. She has never had anyone in life care about her as much as Waverly has shown she does in the last few months, and that makes her feel things she’s never felt before. “Really?” Nicole breathes out in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Waverly replies in a similar manner, a small smile on her face. “Plus, you killed it at tryouts. You were easily the best one there, and being the only girl in a group of guys, that’s already pretty impressive.”

Nicole quirks an eyebrow. “That’s a little sexist don’t ya think?”

Waverly’s eyes widen and she begins to stammer. That’s _not_ what she meant, at all. “No- I- I just meant-”

Nicole feels a smirk start to take over her features, no longer able to keep it at bay. Waverly notices and stops her rambling, shooting the redhead a glare. “You’re making fun of me.”

The redhead begins to chuckle lightly, attempting to mask it with a fake cough. “No, I would _never_ ,” she scoffs, feigning offense. She places her hand over her heart in order to appear more dramatic, and Waverly rolls her eyes.

“Fine, at the first game, I’ll make sure to cheer for everyone, but you,” Waverly crosses her arms and leans against the neighboring lockers. 

Nicole perks up and looks at the smaller girl in fear. “You wouldn’t...”

Waverly smirks. She knows she has all the cards in her hands right now, and she loves it. “Try me,” she challenges. 

Nicole sighs, giving up. “ _Fine_. You win.”

Waverly beams, throwing her arms up in celebration. The action causes her shirt to ride up a bit, and Nicole can’t resist sneaking a glance at the sliver of skin that’s revealed to her. 

She quickly looks back up into Waverly’s eyes in fear of getting caught, but Waverly doesn’t seem to notice. “So, shall we?” Nicole asks, sticking out her arm for the brunette. 

Waverly looks at her in confusion for a moment, before she remembers the reason that they’re there. “Right. Yeah. Let’s go see if you made it, which, by the way, I’m sure you did.” Waverly looks up at Nicole and smiles brightly, before looping her arm through the taller girl’s.

They both walk down the hall and to the gymnasium, immediately spotting the piece of paper now taped to the door, a column of fine black ink. The two scan the page, simultaneously coming across the name they are looking for. Nicole smiles widely and looks down at Waverly, her dimples popping full force. 

“Holy shit, I made it!” Nicole exclaims in surprise. 

Waverly smiles back at the girl and squeals. She had no doubt Nicole could do it, but at the same time, she was a girl trying out for the boy’s team. And they live in small town Purgatory. She had hoped Coach Dolls would be better than the other small minded individuals in the town and not share their same views. She’s glad that he proved her right. “Is now the time for me to tell you I told you so?” Waverly smirks.

Nicole rolls her eyes, untangling their arms from each other, much to both their dismay. “Yeah yeah, _fine_. I get it, you were right. Are you happy?” Nicole is only joking, she knows Waverly can tell, considering the fact that her smile hasn’t left her face the entire conversation. 

“Actually yes, yes I am,” Waverly says matter-of-factly. She’s never letting Nicole live this down. Ever. Suddenly, a thought hits her. “Oh my God, wait. It’s official now, you’ll have two uniforms. Best. Day. _Ever_.” Waverly beams. 

“Oh my God,” Nicole groans as she releases a dry laugh. “You never give up, do you?”

Waverly perks up. “Nope,” she says cheerily, popping the ‘p’. The morning bell rings, signaling everyone to begin heading to their first class. Perfect timing. Waverly turns around and saunters off to her first hour, putting an extra sway to her hips. If she was a betting woman, she would bet all the money in the world that Nicole is currently staring at her ass.

She is. 

By the time lunch rolls around, the two meet each other outside under Nicole’s tree. Nicole tries arguing with Waverly at first, telling her she doesn’t want Waverly to feel like she has to stick with her just because she doesn’t have any other friends. Waverly just scoffs and places her head in her lap, telling her to shut up and read to her. Which of course, causes Nicole to continue reading poetry to her. 

It’s become a routine. Every day Nicole walks out to her tree, book in hand, and a few moments later, out comes Waverly, walking over to her with a smile on her face. Nicole never complains.

Now, Nicole sits with her back against the tree, one hand holding the book and the other combing through brunette locks in her lap. Nicole expertly turns the page with the same hand holding the book, and begins to read the next poem. 

_“There’s a universe_  
_Swirling inside you._

_You have to learn to be_  
_Your own earth,_  
_Wind, fire,_  
_And water._

_You are a natural_  
_Phenomenon--_  
_Not a natural disaster.”_

Nicole goes to turn to the next page, but before she can, she feels Waverly reach out and squeeze her wrist. “Mark that one for me?” The brunette murmurs, burying her face further into the redhead's stomach. 

Nicole feels her heart swoon at the motion and does her best to bite back her smile as she dog ears the page. Whenever she reads a poem that particularly stands out to one of them, they mark it. Sometimes they explain why, sometimes they don’t.

Before Nicole attempts to read the next one, she looks down at the girl, who still has her face tucked into the fabric of her shirt. “You wanna say why?” she asks softly as she combs out the small tangles from Waverly’s hair.

The brunette sighs and moves her face back a little in order to make it easier to look up at Nicole. 

“You don’t have to,” Nicole clarifies. The last thing she wants is for Waverly to think she is pushing her.

Waverly shakes her head. “No, it’s okay. It’s honestly not that big of a deal. It’s just that…” she trails off, trying to think of the words to say to put this into perspective. She has never really talked to anyone about this before, so she has no idea how to go about it. “All the stuff in there about learning to be your own person, your own entity. And how just because you’re different doesn’t mean you’re a disaster, but that you’re a phenomenon instead. It just really spoke to me, that’s all.”

Nicole nods along as she listens intently to Waverly. Her favorite thing about poetry is that every single person interprets it differently. Personally, she has no connection to that poem, nor does she really see it in the same way Waverly does. It just makes the poem that much more beautiful to her, especially after getting to see it through Waverly’s eyes. Or, she should say, hear it through Waverly’s ears? 

Waverly rolls over slightly, the base of her skull now fully in Nicole’s lap as she looks up at the soft blue sky. The clouds are out today, which keeps it from being way too bright for her eyes. She watches as the clouds move slowly, gathering her thoughts before she speaks. 

“My whole life, I was so determined to make myself into the person everyone wanted me to be. The perfect grades, the perfect social status, the perfect friends,” she scoffs. Nicole can tell that the last one obviously doesn’t feel like the case to Waverly. Her heart sinks a little at the thought. 

“I wanted to get a job to help Wynonna and Doc with the homestead, but they both wanted me to be focused more on school. Wynonna said I was better than this town, and that if I really showed it, I’d be able to get out. Have a better life.”

Nicole watches as all of the thoughts hit Waverly at full speed. The brunette is barely stopping for air at this point. “So, that’s what I did. I focused on school and social status and anything that could look good on a college resume. Except, that’s not what I want. I don’t want any of those things.”

Waverly lets out the deep breath she has been holding. Nicole is scared to interrupt, to derail the girl’s train of thought. But she has to ask. “What is it you want?” she whispers.

Waverly closes her eyes, picturing the perfect world in her mind. “Honestly? I want to be in control of my own life for once. I want to be able to choose who I’m friends with, and how hard I work in school, and whether or not I get a job.”

“Why don’t you?”

Waverly laughs cynically, not in a dark way, but in the way someone would when they’ve given up. “I can’t. I do that, and my ‘oh so important reputation’ is in jeopardy.”

Nicole furrows her eyebrows. “Do you really care about that?”

Waverly laughs again, this time more hearty. “No. Not one bit. But everyone else does. So that means I have to too, right?” She stares up into the redhead’s eyes, hoping to gauge her reaction.

Nicole shakes her head slowly. “Waves, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” 

Waverly can hear the sympathy in the older girl’s voice, and it hits her deep in her chest. “You know… you’re the only person who’s ever said that to me.”

Nicole shrugs lightheartedly, as if she doesn’t realize the impact her words are having on the brunette. And honestly? She really doesn’t. Because to Nicole, everyone should always have a choice. That’s how she grew up, and Waverly knows it. She knows Nicole has never let anyone else dictate the kind of person she is. It’s one of the things she loves about her. 

Waverly sighs. She reaches her hand up to play with a strand of Nicole’s hair, causing the redhead to smile and lean down for better access. 

“It’s one of the reasons I love being out here with you. I don’t like wasting my time on people who I don’t think deserve it. And if I’m being honest with you, half of those people in that school are superficial and don’t know what the real world looks like. They’re all concerned with who makes out with who and where the next party is at, and I couldn’t honestly give less of a shit,” she laughs at the end. Nicole laughs with her.

“I could have told you that,” Nicole jokes. She is pleased to hear that Waverly does have an ulterior motive to being out with her at lunch, even if it isn’t the reason she had been hoping for. Secretly, she had been hoping Waverly wants to spend more time with her because maybe she likes her back. However, she will take this too.

“Waverly, you’re the best person I know. The _real_ you. Not the you that you show everyone else, but the you that you show me. You should show that to more people.”

Waverly looks up into brown eyes filled with nothing but love and affection. And despite how amazing the words make her feel, she can’t help the fear tingling deep in the base of her spine. “I can’t,” she chokes out.

Nicole looks at her in confusion. “Why not?”

Waverly sighs, bringing her hand down from Nicole’s hair to cover her face. “Because it’s too much. I like where I am now. It’s safe, and secure. I don’t have to deal with the rejection from other people. At least now if people don’t like me, it’s not the end of the world because they haven’t even met the real me. But the second I show them the real me? What if they don’t like it?”

Nicole scoffs, “Fuck them, they don’t matter,” she states matter of factly. Waverly is almost taken aback by how much emotion is written on Nicole’s face. The redhead sighs in an attempt to calm down. She knows she is probably looking a little upset, but the thought of anyone not liking Waverly makes her blood boil. Waverly is an angel, who wouldn’t like her? “Can I ask you a question?”

Waverly nods.

“Whenever I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone, I try to find one thing around me that feels familiar. Something that feels safe, that way, whatever I’m doing doesn’t feel as scary anymore. So, what’s something that makes you feel safe?”

Waverly takes in a deep breath. _You_ , she thinks. But she can’t exactly say that outloud, now can she? So, she decides to take another route. This all started with poetry anyways, right? " _Nothing is safer than the sound of you reading out loud to me_ ,” she whispers, staring straight into Nicole’s eyes.

A flicker of recognition passes over Nicole’s features. “Rupi Kaur,” the redhead breathes. 

Waverly nods in affirmation. “I found it the other day actually. It reminded me of you. Of how you make me feel.”

Nicole’s breath hitches. She catches herself leaning down slightly, unconsciously. Her eyes drift down to Waverly’s parted lips, and she watches as the girl does the same. Waverly shifts slightly, placing her weight onto her elbows beneath her and pushing herself up a little. Before they can even get close to closing the distance, the bell rings in the background.

Nicole’s eyes widen, the realization of what they were about to do _again_ dawning on her. _Shit_. She really needs to get a handle on herself. 

Waverly sits up abruptly when she catches the look on Nicole’s face. The look of fear. That definitely doesn’t make her feel better. 

They both stand up and grab their things before looking at each other, then looking away shyly. Nicole clears her throat and nods her head toward the door of the building. “Ready?”

Waverly nods her head, looking at the redhead then at the door. “Yeah, yeah of course.”

They make their way inside the school in silence, both of them unsure of what to say. 

“Hey, so, I’m supposed to go to the store with Wynonna and Doc tomorrow to pick up costumes. Were you joking the other day about us both dressing up for the party together, or…” Waverly trails off.

Nicole perks up, a smirk on her lips and all previous thoughts and feelings of awkwardness fading away. “Oh, I mean, if you want to. We don’t have to. I just thought it could be fun.” Nicole rubs the back of her neck awkwardly. Okay, maybe not all of the awkwardness has gone away.

Waverly smiles and Nicole feels her heart skip a beat. Fuck. That smile really does things to her. “I’m still down. Besides, I _really_ wanna see you in that outfit,” she winks.

Nicole laughs loudly, rolling her eyes at how ridiculous the smaller girl is. “Which do you think you’re gonna like more, my work uniform or my costume?”

Waverly’s eyes light up like a little kid on Christmas. “Oh my God, I can’t wait to find out.”

* * *

“Wynonna, for the last time, it’s _not_ a couples outfit,” Waverly sighs exasperatedly. Her, Wynonna, and Doc are driving back home from the costume store after getting their outfits for the Halloween party tonight. Wynonna has been messing with her endlessly about the fact that her and Nicole talked about going together, which means they discussed costumes as well.

Wynonna chortles in disbelief. “You see what you guys picked out, right? How does it get more coupley than-”

“Enough, please?” Waverly interrupts. Normally she wouldn’t mind the older sibling teasing she is receiving, but the thought of her and Nicole as a couple is a sore spot with her. Not because she doesn’t want to be with Nicole, but because she does. And she knows there is no way it would ever happen. Not with all the baggage of their families and their pasts. 

Wynonna looks over at her little sister, worry painted clear on her face. Normally Waverly doesn’t snap at her like that. She looks back at the open road in front of her, trying to determine what she wants her next move to be, before pulling over on the side of the dirt road. 

“Uh, Wynonna? What in tarnation are you doing?” Doc questions from the backseat. Waverly always told him he could sit in the front with Wynonna, but he always said the lady gets the best seat. Something about it being a gentleman's job to make sure it happens. If there is one thing Waverly admires about him, it’s that he is always sweet and thoughtful about the small things. 

“Wynonna? We need to get home. We still have to drop everything off and then go pick up Nicole,” Waverly insists. She knows what is about to happen. 

Wynonna turns in her seat, throwing her arm across the back of the passenger's seat to sit more fully facing the brunette. “Wave,” Wynonna starts.

Waverly sighs and drops her head, her chin resting against her chest. She knew this was coming eventually. “Please don’t,” she tries.

“You need to talk to Nicole,” Wynonna pushes. She had already told Nicole to talk to Waverly, but obviously that hasn’t happened yet, and she’s tired of the two dancing around their obvious feelings for each other. If that means she has to meddle, then that means she has to meddle.

Waverly shakes her head slowly. “I can’t,” she whispers, the first signs of vulnerability making an appearance. 

Wynonna’s eyes soften. “Why not?”

Waverly looks up at her sister for the first time the entire ride home, and she sees all signs of joking and teasing have left Wynonna’s eyes. “Because Wy, you _killed_ her mom. That isn’t something she’s just going to… I don’t know, get over? There are so many reasons it would never work out between us, soulmates or not. Maybe we just aren’t meant to be,” the smaller girl shrugs helplessly.

The older Earp sighs before moving to place her hand on her sister's knee. “Baby girl. The universe isn’t like that. It wouldn’t just play tricks on you like that.”

Waverly huffs, “It sure feels like it.”

Wynonna shakes her head slowly and blows out a small puff of air. “I talked to Nicole. _Really_ talked to her. She’s trying here, Wave. She wouldn’t do that if she didn’t care.”

“I never said she didn’t care, I just said we would never work,” Waverly argues softly.

Wynonna squeezes the girl’s knee before turning back toward the wheel and putting the truck in drive. “You never know until you try. That’s the best big sister advice I can give you. I promise you, that girl loves you a lot more than I think she even realizes.”

When Wynonna turns back onto the road, Waverly stares out of the passenger side window and takes in the trees around her. Nicole loves trees. She loves nature and all it’s beauty. She loves the quiet of it. And ever since learning those things about her, Waverly has a new love for them too. Not to mention all of those things are just some of the many things that constantly remind her of the redhead and make her fall more in love with her. 

Waverly is so lost in thought that by the time they pull up to the homestead, she doesn’t even remember half of the ride. She feels a hand on her shoulder, and it pulls her out of her trance. Wynonna’s already gotten out of the truck with the bags in hand for the party. Waverly turns to see Doc smiling at her from the backseat as he squeezes her shoulder. 

“Little lady,” he drawls in his random cowboyish accent, his mustache twitches slightly as he talks. “If you’re looking for advice, I say follow your heart. It knows what it wants, and it knows things your head might be too scared to admit.”

Waverly smiles back at the man as he removes his hand from her shoulder and opens his door. “Thanks for the old man wisdom, Doc,” she jokes lightly.

He huffs out a small laugh and tips his hat at her. “Anytime, darlin’. Now come on, we need to prepare for this juncture, and I believe you’ll never hear the end of it from Wynonna if you don’t help her get ready.”

Waverly smirks back at the cowboy as she opens her own door. “I think she’ll live,” she jokes, winking at Doc and walking toward the front porch.

* * *

“Are you sure I look okay, Nonna?” Waverly asks her sister for the millionth time as she wipes her sweaty palms on her costume.

“Yes, and you’re gonna make me have to beat a certain ginger’s ass because she’s going to be drooling over my baby sister the entire night,” Wynonna speaks up from the passenger’s seat. Waverly, Doc, and Wynonna are currently on their way to pick up Nicole before they all head to Chrissy’s halloween party. When they pull into the familiar driveway, Waverly lets out a sigh of relief when she only sees the motorcycle parked in the driveway. If Nicole’s dad acted the way he did when he saw her, he’d blow a fucking gasket if he saw Wynonna on his property. The older Earp reaches across the console to try and beep the horn, but Doc grabs her hand before she can. 

“Why don’t we let Miss Waverly go and get her?” Doc brings his soulmate's hand to his lips and places a kiss to the back of it.

“You old soul you.” Wynonna shoves his shoulder playfully and turns around to look at her baby sister. “Out you go, Lance.”

Waverly just nods and opens the truck door. She hops out, taking a deep breath before walking up the driveway. When she gets to the door, she knocks twice and then takes a step back to wait on the redhead to open it. When she hears a muffled ‘coming’ from the other side of the door, her heart speeds up. When the door opens and the two make eye contact, they both stand frozen at the door, both of their jaws slack.

“You look…” Nicole whispers, her eyes rake over every inch of Waverly’s costume. From her slicked back hair to her fitted white canary bodysuit that shows off her perfectly toned arms. The expandable batons in her hands and the utility belt around her waist make Nicole’s mouth dry.

“Holy shit…” Waverly mumbles as her eyes trail from Nicole’s gold boots up to her white dress and then to her red cape. Hands down the sexiest version of She-Ra she has _ever_ seen.

Before either of them can say another word, they are startled by a horn. “Let’s go, you two! You can eye fuck eachother in the truck on the way to the party!” They hear Wynonna yell out the window.

Waverly hides her face in her hands. “I’m gonna kill her,” the brunette groans and Nicole just chuckles as she removes Waverly’s hands from her face and leads her to the truck. Nicole opens the door for the brunette and she gulps as her eyes drift down to Waverly’s backside. 

“Eyes up, Haught Sauce!” Wynonna pipes up from the front seat and Nicole’s face turns as red as her cape. When she gets in, she smiles a bit when she sees Waverly is sitting in the middle seat. As soon as the door is closed, Doc pulls out of the driveway and Wynonna turns around to face them both.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn't do tonight,” the older Earp smirks before turning back around and facing the front.

“So nothing is off limits then? That’s what I just heard,” Waverly whispers to Nicole and the redhead chuckles.

“Heard that.” Wynonna sticks her middle finger between the seats and flips them both off.

“You wear orange well, Wynonna. Almost as if you were just meant to wear it every day for the rest of your life...” Nicole pokes fun at the older Earp’s bright orange prison jumpsuit. “And loving the vampire costume, Doc.”

“Har har,” Wynonna replies and Doc just tips his hat. 

“Wait, now that I think about it, didn’t you two want to do a couples costume?” Waverly leans up in her seat a bit and looks questioningly at her sister. 

“Oh, it will be when he detains me later for unlawful conduct.” Wynonna places her hand on Doc’s thigh and winks at him. Waverly just gags and sits back in her seat. 

“You set yourself up for that one,” Nicole whispers to the brunette and Waverly just swats at her thigh. Nicole, however, catches her hand before it can hit her and interlaces their fingers. The brunette just sticks out her tongue at the redhead and gives her hand a squeeze, not bothering to try and remove her own hand from the redhead’s. Instead, she allows Nicole to rest their interlaced hands in her lap and Waverly scoots over in the seat a bit so that their thighs are touching. 

They arrive at Chrissy’s place about ten minutes later and Waverly wasn’t sure what she was expecting the party to be like, but she wasn’t expecting it to be this crowded. Like she doesn’t even _know_ this many people and she’s pretty sure there’s not even this many people at their high school. As soon as Doc finds a place to park, everyone piles out of the truck and starts walking up to the house that’s completely covered with people of literally all ages.

“All jokes aside, this party looks a little crazy and that’s coming from _me_.” Wynonna comes to stop in front of her sister and Nicole before they walk in the house. “Just stay together please? And don’t let your drinks out of your sight okay?” Both Waverly and Nicole just nod. Wynonna plants a quick kiss on her sister’s cheek before disappearing into the house with Doc, Waverly and Nicole not too far behind them.

“So what do you wanna do first, Nic?” Waverly leans on her tiptoes and whispers into the redhead’s ear.

Nicole smiles mischievously before leaning down and whispering back, “Alcohol, of course.” Waverly just nods once before grabbing her hand and leading them to Chrissy’s kitchen. 

“Waves! Nicole! You made it!” Chrissy stumbles over to them both and pulls her best friend in for a quick hug as soon as they enter the kitchen. “And you both look hot!” The hostess looks them both up and down. 

“Thanks, Chriss. Loving the Harley Quinn look,” Waverly smiles warmly at her best friend. 

“Thanks, Wave. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I just saw someone dressed as the Joker walk in and it could very well be my soulmate, so you’ll have to excuse me,” Chrissy smiles before walking past them. Both girls just chuckle and Waverly walks over to the coolers and grabs two beers. When she walks back over to Nicole, she notices that she’s eyeing the beer pong tournament going on in the next room.

“Wanna play?” The brunette asks as she hands Nicole one of the beers.

“I’m actually surprisingly good at it, so I kinda do. Is that okay? I don’t have to if you don’t-” 

“I’ve seen you play basketball, so I have no doubt that you’ll kick everyone’s ass at beer pong. And it’s even better that you’re going to win while you’re dressed like She-Ra.” Waverly smirks at Nicole and the redhead just playfully rolls her eyes.

And win she does. Nicole has been playing beer pong for a good hour and Waverly is enjoying watching her beat all the guys. The male ego is so fragile and Waverly loves watching them get mad that Nicole is kicking their ass. “I think you’re my good luck charm,” Nicole leans over and whispers to Waverly after she wins her 4th game. 

“I’m happy to be your goodluck charm, just as long as you don’t make me start blowing on your ball before you throw it or something,” the brunette chuckles and Nicole scrunches up her nose.

“Ew. I would never make you blow on a ball.” The redhead leans closer to Waverly so she can whisper the next part. “Balls are _gross_. Ain’t nobody want those near their face.” The cheerleader almost chokes on her beer at Nicole’s words. 

“Okay, I really hate to have to end this very _interesting_ conversation about balls, but I really need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” Waverly squeezes Nicole’s forearm before making her way in the direction of the bathroom. Nicole watches her go, a dopey grin on her face. When Waverly disappears from her sight, she walks to grab another drink.

“She-Ra looks good on you,” Shae sneaks up behind the redhead and whispers in her ear. Nicole jumps a bit, the contents in her solo cup sloshing over the side. She quickly wipes her hands off on her costume and spins around to face the overly flirty brunette.

“Oh hi, Shae,” Nicole slurs as she offers Shae a bright smile. The redhead takes a moment to look over the girl’s costume and smirks when she thinks about what Waverly would say if she saw it. “So you’re a devil? Nice.”

“I can be whatever you want me to be,” the brunette husks as she steps closer to the redhead.

When Waverly exits the bathroom, she immediately starts searching for a certain redhead. She decides to check the drink area, since Nicole has had quite a few of them tonight. She stops in her tracks when she sees _She Who Must Not Be Named_ all over _her_ redhead. When she allows her eyes to roam over her costume, she chuckles bitterly.

“The devil. Fitting,” Waverly whispers to herself as she makes her way over to the two. The brunette doesn’t really know what comes over her, but the next thing she knows, she’s wrapping her arms around Nicole’s middle. The redhead jumps again, but quickly relaxes when she spins around and sees it’s Waverly.

“Hey, Miss Lance.” The redhead smiles dopily at the brunette as she wraps her arms around her. 

“Hey, babe. Wanna dance?” Waverly smiles sweetly up at Nicole and the redhead’s eyes widen a bit at the pet name. When they both hear someone clear their throat beside them, Waverly finally looks over at the devil. “Oh, hey Shae. Didn’t see you there.”

“Nice costume, Earp,” Shae sneers and Waverly just hugs Nicole closer to her body and rests her head on the redhead’s chest.

“Thanks. Yours is nice too. It _really_ suits you.” The brunette smiles smugly at Shae before grabbing Nicole’s hand and leading her to the middle of the room where everyone’s dancing. “Alright, She-Ra, let’s see if you’ve got any moves.” Before Nicole can say anything, Waverly turns around and places her backside against the redhead’s front. The brunette reaches behind her and grabs the redhead’s hands before wrapping them securely around her own waist. Completely lost in the music and in Nicole, Waverly grinds her body into the redhead’s and Nicole swears she has died and gone to heaven. Her whole body is tingling and her heart is beating so loudly in her chest that she can almost hear it over the music. After getting over the initial shock of feeling the brunette pressed against her, she tightens her grip on Waverly’s waist and pulls her impossibly closer to her body.

Between the loud music, people hollering, and her heart beating loudly in her ears, Nicole can't hear much of anything, but she can feel Waverly moving her beautiful body sensually against her own, and that's honestly the only thing that matters to her right now. Waverly slowly runs her hands up and down Nicole’s arms a few times before interlacing her fingers with the soft ones that are gripping her waist. Nicole smiles widely when she feels Waverly slide her fingers between her own and she leans her head against the side of Waverly’s so that her lips are close to the brunette’s ear. When Waverly feels Nicole’s breath hit the shell of her ear, she shivers and Nicole rubs her thumbs across the back of Waverly’s hands.

They dance for a couple of more songs before Waverly decides to untangle herself from the redhead. When she turns around, she notices that Shae is watching them from across the room and Waverly rolls her eyes momentarily. Nicole frowns at the loss of contact, but her smile returns full force when the brunette wraps her arms around her neck. Waverly stands on her tiptoes and places her lips next to Nicole’s ear. "You know, if you want _her_ to stop flirting with you then you should probably pretend that you’re into me," the brunette whispers, before pulling back and looking into chocolate eyes. Nicole looks behind her to see that Shae is, in fact, watching them. 

Nicole turns back to Waverly, her eyebrows furrowed slightly and a soft smile playing on her lips. “I don’t have to pretend,” she replies, the alcohol in her system giving her loads of confidence. When the next song starts, it has a slower tempo and Nicole holds her hand out to Waverly, palm up. When the brunette grabs it, Nicole pulls her in close. Waverly’s free hand finds the redhead’s shoulder and Nicole snakes her arm around the brunette’s petite waist. For the rest of the song, they stay wrapped in each other's arms, swaying to the beat of the song. Every time Nicole’s lips lightly brush the side of Waverly’s head, the brunette flutters her eyes closed. Every time Waverly’s fingers play with the hairs at the nape of Nicole’s neck, the redhead does the same. 

“You know, I really _really_ love this costume on you, but I have to say that it doesn’t hold a candle to your work uniform,” Waverly whispers just loudly enough so the redhead can hear her over the music and when she feels the taller girl’s chest shake from laughter, she knows that Nicole for sure heard her.

Neither of them know how long they stay wrapped up in each other’s arms, but they are too lost in each other and the music to even care. They just spend the whole night trying to convince themselves that the loud thumping in their chests is just the bass from the music, but deep down they both know that it’s something way more than that.

Unfortunately, they don’t get to stay lost in each other for much longer because Wynonna finds them. Nicole pulls away from the brunette when she feels a tap on her shoulder and turns around to face the older Earp. She thinks for a second that Wynonna is about to give her a hard time for having Waverly wrapped in her arms, but Wynonna just turns to her sister. “We need to go, Waves. Willa just called and apparently something’s wrong.” Waverly just nods and grabs Nicole’s hand as Wynonna leads them all out of the house. 

Nicole insists on going with them to the homestead to make sure everything’s okay and Waverly is grateful for that. Spending time with the redhead is quickly becoming one of Waverly’s favorite things. As soon as they pull up to the homestead, everyone jumps out of the truck and walks into the house.

“Willa?” Wynonna calls out as she stands in the living room. Waverly, Nicole, and Doc just walk over to the couch and take a seat. A few seconds later, Willa appears in the doorway with a forced smile on her face. Nicole furrows her eyebrows at the oldest Earp’s calm demeanor, considering they had to leave the party and come here because apparently Willa said something was wrong. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I was just sitting in the barn by myself thinking about Waverly being at a party with alcohol and I got worried.” Willa crosses her arms across her chest. “She is still in high school and I don’t think it’s best for her to be around all that alcohol and people who are making bad decisions.” Willa flickers her eyes over to Nicole when she says the last part and the redhead clenches her jaw. Wynonna, Waverly, and Nicole scoff simultaneously.

“I’m not a child, Willa,” Waverly huffs and stands up from the couch.

“I was there too, Willa. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. And so was Doc and he didn’t even drink because he’s driving,” Wynonna challenges.

“Oh please, Wynonna. You can barely even look after yourself.” Willa rolls her eyes. “I knew the party would be unsupervised and I knew you wouldn’t be keeping an eye out on her, so I made the best decision for us all.” 

“Waves and I were together the whole night and the party never once felt unsafe,” Nicole chimes in, not being able to just bite her tongue any longer. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.” The redhead glances over at the brunette, her features softening instantly when brown eyes meet hazel.

“Oh _please_ ,” the oldest Earp scoffs. “You all reek of alcohol. I could smell it on you all the second I walked into the house. You can’t stop something bad from happening to someone else when you’re drunk yourself now can you?” Willa narrows her eyes at the redhead and Nicole stands up from the couch. 

“Waves, I think I’m gonna go.” Nicole turns to Waverly and a frown makes its way onto the brunette’s face.

“We could just go up to my room if you wanted? Hang out a bit? I’m _so_ sorry our night got cut short,” Waverly offers, feeling bad for making Nicole leave the party early.

“It’s okay, Waves. It’s not your fault, but I’m kinda tired anyway and this costume isn’t the most comfortable, so I may have to take a raincheck on that offer.” The redhead smiles sadly at Waverly.

“I can drive-”

“I’ll drive her home, Miss Waverly. It’s probably best you stay and sort this thing out with your sisters, yeah?” Doc chimes in as he stands up from the couch. Waverly just nods solemnly and sits down on the couch in defeat. 

Nicole squats down in front of her and hooks a finger under her chin. “Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow. See you at the spot at 5?” The redhead watches as the hazel eyes in front of her brighten up at the mention of them hanging out tomorrow. When Waverly just nods, Nicole leans in and places a quick kiss to her forehead. “Night, Waves.”

“Night, Nicole,” the brunette whispers when Nicole’s lips are no longer touching her skin. Doc walks out the door and Nicole stops in front of Wynonna.

“Everything okay?” She whispers to her and when Wynonna just nods and gestures her head to the door, the redhead nods back and follows Doc outside. Nicole narrows her eyes at Willa as she walks past and neither of them break eye contact. When the redhead is shoulder to shoulder with her, Willa bumps her shoulder roughly.

“Stay away from Waverly,” Willa whispers only loud enough for Nicole to hear.

“You first, bitch,” Nicole mumbles back through gritted teeth before walking out the door. When she reaches the porch she lets out a sigh. She doesn't know much about the oldest Earp and she doesn’t really care to get to know her, but something feels off with Willa. 

Nicole can feel it in her bones and she’s going to make it her mission to find out exactly what Willa is up to.


	9. Chapter 9

Nicole watches as the sun moves over the horizon slowly as it begins to set. She sits with her knees up to her chest at the edge of the cliff, under the willow tree, breathing in and out slowly in an attempt to calm herself. Nicole brings her wrist up to her face and checks the time on her watch for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. She’s currently waiting for Waverly to meet her. The brunette just thinks they are writing, but Nicole has different plans.

She’s going to tell Waverly she knows they are soulmates and tell her how she feels.

At a quarter past five, Nicole once again turns and looks behind her, looking for any sign of the youngest Earp. The sun has set now, leaving the area illuminated by only the stars and the moon. The redhead waits another five minutes before standing up and brushing the grass off of her pants. Waverly is never late and it’s starting to worry her. She looks over at her bike momentarily before just opting to walk to the homestead. Besides, she can always come back and get her bike later when they talk.

Nicole makes her way through the woods slowly in an effort to buy herself more time to think. When she gets to the edge of the woods, she stops in her tracks at the sound of a familiar voice.

It’s Willa’s.

“Robert, I’m going to do it. I promise,” Nicole hears and she immediately hides behind the nearest tree. When she peeks out, she sees Willa pacing the length of the wood-line. “They mean nothing to me. You’re the only person I need. I’ll take care of them and call you once it’s finished. They won’t even know it’s coming.” Nicole’s eyes widen when she sees Willa retrieve a gun from the waistband of her pants. As soon as the brunette hangs up the phone and walks off, Nicole starts digging in her pockets for her knife.

“ _Fuck,_ ” the redhead curses when she remembers she left it on her bike. She runs back to her spot where her motorcycle is and grabs her bag, pulling out the pocket knife she keeps in it. She shoves it in her jacket pocket and takes off in a full sprint, jumping over branches and avoiding random holes in the ground as she runs.

Nicole’s almost to the house when she hears shouting coming from the barn. If she was thinking properly, she would’ve tried to sneak in, but her _soulmate_ is in that barn with her sister that’s trying to _kill_ her. Nicole runs straight through the barn door and skids to a stop behind Willa, who is currently holding Waverly and Wynonna at gunpoint. Nicole’s eyes find Waverly’s and the redhead’s heart breaks at the fear and confusion swirling in her normally vibrant hazel eyes. Nicole sees that Wynonna is standing in front of her sister a bit so she can protect her and her heart aches for both of the sisters.

“Ah, looks like the ginger bitch has joined the party,” Willa smirks when Nicole walks in the barn. She immediately points the gun in her hands at the redhead.

“Willa! Why are you doing this?” Wynonna shouts across the barn and Willa turns her attention to her sister, her gun still pointed at Nicole.

“I want the cowboy. He owes a debt to the group I’m in and I was sent here to collect him,” Willa explains and Nicole hangs on every word she says. “I know there's no way you two would let me take him if you could help it, so that's why I have to make sure you won't get in my way. Also, killing you both is the perfect way to make him suffer.” The brunette paces around the barn.

“You’re our sister, Willa! You can’t just kill us!” Waverly screams and Willa smirks.

“Robert is my family. The order is my family.” The brunette eyes her sisters, a manic look in her eyes. “You two are nothing to me. Same as her.” Willa points her gun at Nicole. “She’s just some butch orphan who has no right to try and- and taint Waverly into being some, some _lesbian._ ”

“Nicole isn’t ‘tainting’ Waverly or making her into anything, Willa, and she’s an orphan because of _you_ so maybe get off your fucking high horse for once and take some responsibility for all the shit _you’ve_ caused,” Wynonna speaks through gritted teeth.

Waverly turns to look at Wynonna in confusion, and Nicole turns to look at Wynonna in shock. “Wynonna, what are you talking about?” Waverly asks slowly. She’s trying to wrap her head around what her sister just said, but she just isn’t able to process it.

“Wynonna…” Nicole warns.

“No, Nicole. It’s time. I’m not going to keep taking the blame for something I didn’t do. I’m done.” The middle Earp chances a glance at Nicole before returning her fiery gaze back to her older sister.

Waverly’s mind is still reeling. Now Wynonna and Nicole are keeping secrets from her? Secrets involving their families? “What in the hell is going on here?” The small brunette snaps, causing Nicole and Wynonna both to flinch slightly.

Wynonna sighs, her eyes never leaving Willa. She wants to give Waverly her full attention while she’s explaining this, but she can’t bring herself to take her eyes off the sister that’s pointing a gun at them both. “It wasn’t me who killed Nicole’s mom that night. It was Willa.”

Waverly whips her head toward Wynonna, shock evident on her face. “What?”

Wynonna shakes her head slowly. “We were scared. Willa promised she would take care of you. Instead, she ran, leaving me to take all the blame.”

Waverly runs a shaky hand through her hair before turning to look at Nicole again. “You knew and you didn’t tell me?” Nicole’s eyes soften when they meet hazel. The redhead starts to speak, but Wynonna beats her to it.

“I asked her not to tell you, baby girl,” The brunette replies softly and Waverly just chokes back a sob. Her whole life has been a lie.

“ _Oh._ This is too good,” Willa chuckles darkly. “Can’t believe sister dearest never told you the truth about that night.”

“Shut the fuck up, Willa,” Wynonna seethes.

“You’re right. It’s time to let my gun do the talking.” Willa’s eyes find Nicole’s again. “I guess you’re up first, Red.”

“No!” Waverly shouts as she bends down and pulls Peacemaker from her sister’s boot. She shakily steps away from Wynonna and points the gun at her oldest sister. Wynonna starts to protest, but Waverly tunes her out. “Leave her out of this, Willa. You want us, you can have us, but let her go. _Please._ ”

“She’ll thank me later for reuniting her with her mom,” Willa laughs as she looks between Nicole and Waverly before her eyes settle on Nicole again. “Wonder if one bullet from my gun will take you out as fast as it took out your mother?”

Waverly swears the whole barn starts spinning and she looks from Nicole to Willa to Wynonna helplessly. “Put the gun down, Willa! Please don’t make me do this!” Waverly steps closer to her sister.

“I don’t have time for negotiations.” Willa turns to look at her sister one last time before turning to face Nicole. “Say hi to your mother for me, yeah?”

Two gunshots ring through the barn and two bodies hit the floor.

“Nicole!” Waverly shouts as she drops Peacemaker and runs over to the redhead who is laying on the ground, cradling her arm to her chest. The brunette bypasses her sister, who is currently laying on the ground gasping for air. When she sees blood seeping through Nicole’s fingers, she starts to panic. The youngest Earp cradles the redhead in her arms and places her hand over Nicole’s bloody one to try and stop the bleeding.

“I’m alright, Waves. It was just a graze.” The redhead tries to downplay the pain she’s feeling so Waverly doesn’t panic.

“Wynonna, don’t just stand there! Go get help!” Waverly orders. Hearing her sister’s voice brings Wynonna out of her daze.

“Baby girl-” Wynonna tries, her voice thick with emotion.

“No,” the smaller girl starts, not even looking up at her sister. Her tone is laced with hurt and dread. “You and I will talk later. About _everything_. Just go get help.”

Wynonna nods her head slowly. She fights back the tears that she’s starting to feel sting her eyes. “Okay. I’ll go call Doc.”

Waverly doesn’t respond, she just continues to hold Nicole and breathe in the familiar scent of vanilla. She does her best to try to focus on that and not the copper scent of blood nearby. Blood _she_ is responsible for.

“Waves-”

“Shh, baby. Don’t,” Waverly whispers, running her fingers through short red hair. “Why were you here? You shouldn’t have been here,” the brunette cries as she places her lips to the redhead’s cheek. “I’m _so_ sorry.”

Nicole shakes her head slowly. “I’m okay, Waves. I’ll be okay. But are _you_ okay?”

Waverly furrows her eyebrows and tightens her hold on the redhead. “Me?”

Nicole nods her head. “Yeah. With everything that just happened…”

Waverly lets out a watery chuckle. Of course the kind-hearted girl in her arms is worried about _her_ when _she_ just got shot. The brunette looks down at the ground, an unreadable expression on her face. “Honestly… I don’t really feel anything. I just feel numb. Enough about me, I care more about _you_ right now.”

“I-I waited at our spot for you today. I had to tell you how I feel, Waves. I had to tell you that I know you’re my soulmate.” Nicole grimaces as more blood leaves her body, leaving her head feeling lighter than it’s ever felt before. “I wanted you to know… no, I _need_ you to know… that I have never loved anyone the way that I love you.”

Waverly lets out a mix between a laugh and a sob. “You know what? Nope, we’re not doing this.” Nicole leans down and kisses the hand that is clutching her own. Before Nicole can say anything, the barn door opens again.

“Oh, pardon me,” Doc drawls. He removes his hat from his head and places it against his chest. “I just came to…”

Waverly nods and gestures to the redhead in her arms. “Doc, can you help me get her up?” The cowboy just nods and walks over to the two girls. He helps Waverly get the redhead to her feet and Nicole grits her teeth at the pain that shoots through her when she has to move. She would’ve been perfectly content to just lay in Waverly’s arms on the floor of the barn for the rest of her life. Both Waverly and Doc wrap their arms around Nicole’s waist and lead her out of the barn.

“I’ll get you fixed,” Waverly whispers the same words to the redhead that Nicole whispered to her the day she cut her hands on the broken beer bottle. All three of them walk at a slow pace to avoid the possibility of the redhead passing out.

When they make it inside, Waverly leads Nicole over to the kitchen table. “Sit,” she instructs, gesturing to the table top.

Nicole shakes her head. “Waves, you need to rest, you’ve had a long day. I can take care of it.”

Waverly shakes her head vehemently. “No, Nicole-”

“I can do it,” Wynonna cuts in, walking into the kitchen and grabbing the first aid kit from the top shelf.

Nicole gives the older Earp a small smile before turning back to look at Waverly. “Hey,” she whispers, placing her finger underneath the girl’s chin and forcing their eyes to lock. “Go. Rest. I can come up when I’m done?” she offers quietly.

Waverly nods slightly and closes her eyes under Nicole’s gaze. “Please,” she murmurs, but it’s loud enough for Nicole to distinguish. Nicole offers her a small smile and leans forward, placing a light kiss on the girl’s forehead. Waverly sighs and makes her way up the stairs and Doc heads out the front door, leaving Wynonna and Nicole alone in the kitchen.

“Earp, I’m sor-”

“Thank you,” the brunette cuts in. Nicole looks up in surprise at the older girl’s words. They don’t necessarily dislike each other anymore, but they also aren’t exactly best buds either.

“Come again?” Nicole asks in confusion. Wynonna huffs out a laugh as she opens the med kit and removes the supplies she needs.

“I said thank you. For looking after my family. After _Waverly._ ”

Nicole furrows her brow even more, as if that was possible. “Oh.” she whispers.

Wynonna sighs, unrolling the gauze and grabbing a washcloth to run under water. “Look, Haught, I’m not good with all this… _feelings_ bullshit. But… you’ve proven yourself. You’re one of the good ones.”

Nicole stares wide-eyed at the girl in front of her. “Thanks,” she tries, unsure of what else to say.

Wynonna rolls her eyes and dabs the cloth onto the damaged skin on Nicole’s arm. The redhead hisses, but does her best not to move away at the sting. Nicole speaks up in an effort to make this process go by quicker.

“So, uh, Doc? What’s he doing out there?”

Wynonna looks up from Nicole’s arm with a raised eyebrow. “What do you think?” she asks as if it should be obvious.

Nicole gulps as the realization hits her. Of course. He’s hiding the body and cleaning everything up. Because someone just died in there. Someone was killed. By _Waverly_. For _her_. The thought alone makes her feel sick. The girl she loves, her soulmate, just shot her own sister for her, to keep her safe.

“So, uh, we need to talk about Waverly,” the older Earp speaks up. She reaches over to grab the antibiotic cream and applies it to the graze on Nicole’s arm.

The redhead inhales sharply at the cold feeling. “Look, Wynonna. I’m not going to hurt her,” she starts.

Wynonna shakes her head and grabs the gauze. “That’s not what I meant, but noted.” She begins dressing the wound, careful not to cause too much unnecessary pain to the area. She looks up at the confused teen. “She’s not going to be the same after this. She’s gonna be pretty messed up,” she clarifies.

Nicole looks on in understanding. “Right. So we have to help her. Take care of her,” the redhead supplies.

“Exactly.” Wynonna finishes her work on the girl’s arm and stands up straight, surveying the results. “You should be good for now, just don’t forget to clean it and-”

“I know, don’t worry,” Nicole interrupts as she pushes off the table. “I’m tougher than I look. This isn’t the first injury I’ve had,” she jokes.

The brunette looks back at her and smirks. “Sure it’s not, Red. Now go upstairs and take care of our girl.”

Nicole smiles back at the older Earp and tilts her head, the words ‘our girl’ replaying in her mind. She walks up the stairs quietly, hoping none of the stairs creak too loudly in case Waverly is sleeping. Her head starts spinning about halfway up and she stops for a second, her hand gripping onto the railing. When her vision returns to normal, she keeps walking. Once she makes it up the stairs, she pushes open the bedroom door slowly and peeks her head in.

Waverly’s on her side with her back to the door. Her breathing is soft and even and Nicole sighs in relief. She was worried the girl wouldn’t be able to get much sleep, but on the other hand she knows how exhausted she must be.

She makes her way over to the bed and sits on the edge, causing the mattress to dip slightly. She reaches up to push a stray piece of hair behind Waverly’s ear, and leans down to place a light kiss against her temple. When she goes to stand, she feels a small hand wrap around her wrist to keep her in place.

“Please, don’t go,” Waverly whispers, her voice cracking slightly with emotion and raspy from light sleep. Nicole turns and looks down at the brunette, a small smile gracing her features at the girl’s half asleep mumbling.

“Whatever you want, my love,” Nicole whispers back. Waverly’s arm moves slowly to lift the blanket, making it easier for Nicole to crawl underneath with her. The redhead lays down slowly, careful to not put too much pressure on her arm.

The second she’s under and comfortable, Waverly immediately clings to her, wrapping her arms around the taller girl’s waist and burying her face in her neck. Nicole sighs in contentment, the events of the day finally catching up to her and causing her to feel exhausted. She wraps the smaller girl in her arms and pulls her closer, planting a kiss on the crown of her head.

She feels Waverly hum against her neck and feels her own eyes droop shut. They could deal with everything that happened in the morning. For now, she is okay with leaving things here like this. With Waverly asleep in her arms and earlier confessions looming in the back of her mind, she drifts off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Nicole is startled awake by the sound of whimpers and a lot of tossing and turning. She quickly turns over and sees that Waverly is thrashing about in the bed, a look of fear painted across her delicate features.

“No, please,” the brunette mumbles. Nicole immediately scoots closer to the sleeping girl and wraps an arm around her waist. She pulls Waverly’s back flush against her front and presses her lips close to her ear.

“You’re safe, Waves. You’re safe,” the redhead whispers as she props up on her elbow and traces the cheerleader’s features with her fingertips. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.” As soon as the words leave her lips, Waverly’s body stills and her breathing evens out again. Nicole lets out a breath and starts to relax her own body again. She tucks her face into Waverly’s neck and interlaces her fingers with the brunette’s before resting their joined hands against the sleeping girl’s stomach. Nicole flutters her eyes closed, the sound of Waverly’s soft snores lulling her to sleep.

* * *

Nicole wakes up the next morning and a small smile tugs at her lips when her eyes land on a sleeping Waverly. There’s a strand of hair falling in front of her face and the redhead reaches out her hand and pushes the piece behind the brunette’s ear before she can stop herself. Waverly yawns and flutters her eyes open when she feels soft fingers brush her face.

“Mornin’, pretty girl,” Nicole whispers when hazel eyes meet her own.

“Good morning, Nic.” Waverly smiles bashfully as she buries her face into her pillow. “How’d you sleep?”

“Well when I finally tuned out your loud snoring, I slept pretty great.” Nicole smiles cheekily at the brunette and the cheerleader swats at her arm. Nicole immediately grimaces when the brunette’s hand hits her wound and Waverly cups her hands over her mouth. “Ah, still tender.” The redhead tries to make light of her pain to put Waverly at ease.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry! I totally forgot!” The brunette panics and goes to roll off the bed, but Nicole wraps an arm around her waist to stop her. She pulls the cheerleader’s back to her front and snuggles her face into the back of her neck. She breathes in Waverly’s strawberry shampoo and exhales slowly. 

“I’m okay. You didn’t hurt me,” Nicole reassures the worried brunette.

“Yeah, but my sister did,” Waverly whispers. It’s so low that Nicole doesn’t think she’s meant to hear it, but she does.

“I think we should talk about last night, Waves,” Nicole sighs. 

Waverly tenses up. “Talk about my sister shooting you or me shooting my sister? I’m a murderer, Nicole. I’m no better than Willa.” Waverly’s voice cracks and Nicole tightens her grip on the trembling brunette.

“Hey.” Nicole scoots back a bit so that Waverly’s laying on her back and looks down at the girl. When their eyes meet, the redhead gently brushes the back of her hand over the brunette’s slightly damp cheeks. “She was going to kill you, me, and Wynonna. You saved all of our lives, Waverly. You didn’t have a choice.”

“You shouldn’t have been there, Nicole.” Waverly averts her eyes and Nicole puts her finger under the brunette’s chin and turns her head so that she has no choice, but to look at her again. 

“I’m glad I was there, Waverly. Where you go, I go.” The redhead gazes lovingly into sad hazel eyes.

Completely lost in Nicole’s soft brown eyes and not thinking straight, Waverly leans up, her lips searching for Nicole’s. When Nicole sees that the brunette is trying to close the gap between them, she instantly moves back. As soon as she does, she regrets it because a look of hurt and confusion washes over Waverly’s features.

“Oh… I misread that.” Waverly closes her eyes and shakes her head before quickly getting up from the bed. Nicole tries to grab her, but she’s not fast enough. 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea…” The redhead internally chastises herself when the words leave her mouth. 

“No, yeah. How dumb of me to try and kiss you after you say all these goddamn sweet things to me. You tell me you love me and tell me you’ll follow me anywhere and yet you run away when I try to kiss you. Makes sense,” Waverly chuckles bitterly. 

“Waves, let me-” 

“I think you should go.” Waverly walks to the door of her room and opens it. She crosses her arms and stares at the ground, trying to fight back the tears that are threatening to fall.

Nicole stands up from the bed and comes to a stop in front of the brunette, who looks a lot like a kicked puppy right now. “I’m sorry,” the redhead whispers before walking out of the room and down the stairs. When her feet touch the last stair, she hears the door to Waverly’s room slam. Nicole sighs and makes her way over to sit on the couch. It’s not that she didn’t want to kiss Waverly. She wants to. More than anything in the world.

But not like that.

Not while the girl is hurting and blaming herself for the death of her sister. She doesn’t want the brunette to kiss her just because she’s trying to deflect. She doesn’t want their first kiss to happen only because Waverly is looking to feel something other than grief. 

Nicole lays down on the couch. She knows Waverly told her to leave, but she can’t bring herself to actually leave because she’s too worried about her to go too far. She’ll give her her space, but she wants to be here in case she needs something. Lost in her thoughts, she doesn’t hear Wynonna walk down the stairs.

“Damn, Haught. Kicked to the couch already? What the fuck did you do?” Wynonna asks as she stands over the redhead. Nicole folds her arms over her face and groans.

“Waves and I were talking about yesterday and she tried to kiss me… and I pulled away.” The redhead peeks through her arms and sees that Wynonna’s eyes are wide. “But not because I didn’t want to kiss her,” Nicole hurriedly adds. “I’ve wanted to kiss her since the day she almost tackled me in the hallway, but you should’ve seen her a second ago, Wynonna. She went from blaming herself for Willa’s death to trying to kiss me all in a span of like 10 seconds and it just didn’t feel right. If I had let her kiss me, I would’ve felt like I was taking advantage of her when she was feeling vulnerable, and I love her too much to do that.”

“Well shit. I really don’t want to discuss you kissing my baby sister, but I will say that you did the right thing.” Wynonna walks to the door and grabs her leather jacket off the coat rack. “Give her some time. She will come around. Us Earps like to shut people out when we are hurt.” The brunette pulls her hair from the back of the jacket and lets it fall freely. “But if you stick around long enough, you’ll see that our walls don’t stay up for too long.” Nicole nods her head and Wynonna offers her a small smile before opening the door and walking out. 

When Nicole is alone again, she sighs and looks around the living room for something to do. When her eyes land on a familiar book, they soften and she reaches over to the coffee table to retrieve it. Her favorite poetry book. The one she handed back to Waverly after they bumped into each other. Nicole lays back on the couch and opens the book, holding it up above her face. She reads until her eyes start to droop and eventually, she stops fighting the exhaustion.

* * *

After spending the last few hours wallowing in her bed, Waverly finally gets up and walks downstairs to get some water. When she gets halfway down the stairs, she stops in her tracks when she sees a sleeping redhead on the couch. Her heart lurches to her throat at the sight and so many emotions wash over her at once. When she thinks back to the poem she wrote for Nicole yesterday when the redhead was getting patched up, she turns around and walks back to her room. With the poem in hand, she makes her way back to where Nicole is sleeping soundly. She feels tears sting her eyes when she sees the poetry book they both love so much clutched to her chest. After folding the poem in half, she slides the paper in between Nicole’s hand and the book. “I wrote this for you.” She whispers, alluding to the title of the book that is currently acting as a stuffed animal for an 18 year old. With one final glance at the sleeping beauty, she turns around and walks back to the staircase.

“Waves?” The burnette hears a tired voice say her name and she slowly turns back around.

“You stayed,” Waverly whispers as soon as her eyes lock with sleepy brown ones.

A gentle smile makes its way onto Nicole’s features and Waverly’s insides turn to mush at the sight. “Always,” the redhead replies before looking down at the paper that’s under her hand. “What is-”

“It’s everything I didn’t say.” Waverly smiles softly at the redhead before retreating back up the stairs. Nicole unfolds the paper gently and allows her eyes to read the familiar handwriting.

_**I** crashed into you_

_**L** ike the waves when they meet the shore_  
_**O** ver and over, I kept coming back to touch, and to be touched once more_  
_**V** anilla filled my lungs and suddenly I could breathe again_  
_**E** uphoria washed over me and I bathed in it_

_**Y** our name carved itself into my skin_  
_**O** n my eighteenth, but your named carved itself into my heart_  
_**U** nder the willow, by the cliff that I took a step off of, unbeknownst_

_**T** hat day I fell, and haven’t stopped flying since, or singing_  
_**O** ne letter then four then three, is the melody I wrote for you_  
_**O** nce you read each first letter again, come kiss me_

Nicole reads each first letter again and her heart practically jumps out of her chest and runs up the stairs without her. 

_‘I love you too’_

Nicole smiles so big that she’s pretty sure her face is about to split open and she carefully lays the poem and book down on the couch. She hops to her feet and jogs up the stairs, torn between wanting to give Waverly her space and wanting to be as close to her as possible. However, she knows her heart is going to Waverly regardless, and figuring that it’d be best if her heart stays in her chest, she decides to tag along. 

Nicole pushes through Waverly’s bedroom door, not wanting to wait another second before having the smaller girl in her arms. 

“So… what did you think-” Waverly asks shyly when she sees the redhead enter her room. She’s cut off, however, by the feeling of Nicole’s soft and eager lips on her own. 

Nicole wraps both of her arms around the brunette’s waist, pulling her hard against her body as their lips glide together in the most perfect way. The redhead’s mind is racing, yet quiet all at the same time. Her heart is thudding loudly in her chest, threatening to break out, and her body feels on fire with her and Waverly being so close together in the way she has been dreaming of for months. 

Waverly gasps against the redhead’s lips and throws her arms around the taller girl’s neck in an attempt to get them both even closer to each other. All of the times she had envisioned this scenario, she never imagined kissing Nicole would feel quite _this_ good. Waverly runs her fingers through Nicole’s short hair as their kisses begin to slow down, getting softer and sweeter as opposed to urgent like the ones they shared mere seconds ago. The brunette can feel a tingling in her side, and it is unlike anything she has ever felt before. She knows what it is. She knows it is the tattoo that binds her to the girl in front of her. She feels a sense of calmness. A calm she has never really felt before in her life, but something she has a feeling is just beginning. 

When Nicole finally pulls away, she rests her forehead against Waverly’s and exhales deeply. She looks into hazel eyes and can’t stop the beaming smile that makes its way onto her features. Waverly’s expression mirrors her own.

“God, I’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” Nicole breathes out, a tiny chuckle following her admission as her cheeks tinge a light pink.

Waverly huffs out a laugh with her. She brushes her nose along the bridge of Nicole’s as she continues to play with short, ginger locks. “Then why didn’t you do it this morning?” Waverly whispers playfully, although she can’t help the slight hurt that laces her voice

Nicole frowns and pulls back an inch, just enough to look at Waverly fully, but not enough to put any real difference between them. “Waves, I wanted to kiss you, more than anything. But it wasn’t right. You were vulnerable and you were hurting, I wasn’t going to take advantage of that. Also, I may have told you how I felt about you, but you hadn’t said anything yet, and I didn’t know if maybe…” she trails off, afraid to say the words on her mind in fear of possibly offending Waverly.

Waverly nods her head in understanding and finally starts to see where the redhead was coming from when she moved away from her kiss this morning. “You were afraid I didn’t have feelings for you back, and that I was just using your confession as an escape from everything that had happened because you were there,” the brunette finishes for her. Nicole’s eyes soften and she wraps her arms tighter around Waverly’s waist, pulling her in for a hug. The brunette tightens her hold and buries her face in the crook of Nicole’s neck in reciprocation. 

“I know that probably sounds bad, and I obviously know now that that wasn’t exactly the case. I just didn’t want to get my hopes up,” Nicole murmurs against the crown of the brunette’s head.

“What do you mean?”

Nicole sighs. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up and be let down if you didn’t feel the same way. I think deep down I knew you did, but a part of me couldn’t believe someone like you could like someone like me, let alone love me,” she admits.

Waverly pulls away from the skin of the girl’s neck and looks up, shock evident in her eyes. “Nicole, you’re literally my soulmate,” she points out incredulously. 

Nicole chuckles and shakes her head. As ridiculous as it might sound now, she really believed it a few hours ago. “I know that, but that doesn’t mean anything in terms of how you feel. Us being soulmates doesn’t require you to be with me, it just means we were meant for each other in some way.”

Waverly shakes her head and bites her lip as she looks down at the ground. “You realize how dumb you sound right now, right?” She looks up at Nicole and smirks, showing the redhead that she’s just messing with her now. 

“Yeah, what’s new?” Nicole jokes back, pulling Waverly to rest against her front again. The cheerleader sighs and wraps her arms around Nicole’s torso. “Stop moving away from me please,” Nicole murmurs as she rests her head against the top of Waverly’s. The brunette can hear the pout in Nicole’s voice and rolls her eyes. 

“Are you going to be this needy from now on?” Waverly asks in faux annoyance, but Nicole knows she doesn’t mean it. Not when the cheerleader has her arms wrapped around her waist and is holding her just as tight. She doesn’t want Nicole going anywhere either.

“Mhmm. I have to make sure you’re always in my arms somehow. It makes it harder for you to leave me if I’m holding you,” Nicole retorts, placing a kiss against the brunette’s hair. 

“ _Jesus,_ ” Waverly groans against Nicole’s chest, and a laugh escapes her lips. “Well the good news is, you’re stuck with me. However, I do think I’m about to leave you in order to go lay in that extremely comfortable bed over there. Care to join me?” 

Nicole smirks against the top of Waverly’s head and places another kiss to it. God, she’ll never get tired of that. “Lead the way, beautiful.”

Waverly smiles and grabs one of Nicole’s hands, pulling her over to the bed and settling under the covers. Nicole follows suit, wrapping an arm around the brunette’s waist once they get comfortable. They both lay there, facing each other and staring into each other's eyes. Brown eyes sparkle as they truly take in the beauty of the hazel ones before them. 

They stay wrapped up in each other, both losing track of the time. It could have been anywhere from ten seconds to ten minutes before Nicole finally speaks. 

“Waves, would it be okay if I kissed you again?” she whispers in the small space between them.

Waverly smiles back at her, her eyes turning into soft, crescent moons. “Please.”


	11. Chapter 11

It’s pretty late by the time Nicole and Waverly agree they should probably get out of bed and finally get something to eat for dinner. Considering that was part of Waverly’s original plan when she went downstairs in the first place, the brunette can feel her stomach growls getting louder with each passing second that they are wrapped in each other's arms.

It takes Waverly a few minutes to convince herself to get up because she is just so comfortable and it’s always hard to leave Nicole’s embrace. Matter of fact, she never wants to leave the redhead’s embrace. Not if she can help it at least. 

“What do you want to eat, baby? I could always run to get something for us real fast if you want something you guys don’t have?” Nicole’s voice croons from the open refrigerator. God, could Nicole be any more perfect?

Waverly smiles from her spot against the entryway of the kitchen, pushing off of it with her shoulder and heading over to meet the redhead. “I’m okay with anything. I’m not sure when Wynonna and Doc will be back, so we can just make something small if you want?”

Nicole nods, still looking into the fridge as Waverly talks. When a thought hits her, she turns slightly to face the shorter girl before leaning down and placing a quick peck to her lips. “I love that I can do that whenever I want now,” Nicole admits. 

Waverly smiles shyly, ducking her head and pushing a strand of hair behind her ear with a blush. “Me too,” Waverly whispers in the small space between them. She starts to lean in so she can connect their lips again, but a voice startles them apart. 

“Oh God, please tell me I’m not gonna have to keep walking in on this shit,” Wynonna groans from the doorway. Doc, however, just stands behind her and looks at the couple apologetically. 

Nicole starts to speak, but Waverly beats her to it. “No, Wynonna, you won’t. I’m going to my room,” she huffs and rolls her eyes before attempting to leave the room. 

The older Earp’s eyes widen fearfully for a moment before she reaches out, grabbing Waverly by the arm softly before she can pass her. “Baby girl, wait. _Please_ just let me explain,” Wynonna pleads. 

That’s it. Waverly snaps. “Explain what, Wynonna? Explain how you lied to me for years? Explain how you let me believe my sister was a murderer and the town pariah for something she didn’t even do? Oh, or better yet, explain why you told Nicole, someone who you didn’t even like, before you told your own fucking sister?” Waverly’s eyes are like daggers, piercing Wynonna’s own. But the older brunette doesn’t back down, she just takes it. She knows she deserves it. 

“Yes. Let me explain that. All of that,” Wynonna placates. 

Waverly sighs. She shrugs Wynonna’s hand off her arm lightly and moves to sit down at the table, Wynonna and Doc following. Nicole continues to stand by the fridge, not really knowing what she should do. Sure, the Earp sisters really _feel_ like a family to her, but she knows that there are family matters she isn’t necessarily invited to be a part of. She feels like this is probably one of them. She shuts the fridge quietly behind her, getting ready to leave the room and give the sisters some privacy. Wynonna’s voice stops her in her tracks.

“Sit down, Haught Sauce.” Wynonna nods to the only other open seat at the table in front of her, across from Doc and in between Waverly and Wynonna. Nicole hesitates. 

“Are you sure? I can just go upstairs or outside or something. I don’t really want to intrude on this…”

“Please, stay,” Waverly speaks up, reaching for her hand to pull her down into the chair by hers. Once Nicole is seated, Waverly locks their fingers together and places their hands on top of the table. Honestly, even if Waverly hadn’t basically pulled Nicole to sit down, just Waverly asking her to stay is enough to make Nicole do it. She can’t deny that girl a thing. 

“This involves you just as much as it does the rest of us, Nicole. You deserve to be here too if you want to be,” Wynonna adds. Nicole just nods to confirm that yes, this is exactly where she wants to be right now. Here. For Waverly. 

Once the silence among the table becomes too much, Wynonna takes a deep breath in preparation for the long story she’s about to tell. That is, before Waverly pipes up. 

“I don’t need you to tell me everything Wynonna. I already know what happened that night. We don’t need to relive it,” the younger girl states, sneaking a side glance at the redhead. Nicole knows deep down that the reason Waverly is sparing the details is because of her. Waverly likes details. She likes having everything clear and wrapped up. She likes knowing everything she can about a situation. But Nicole also knows that Waverly doesn’t want her to have to hear all about how her sister shot her mother.

Wynonna nods in agreement, most likely sensing what Waverly is getting at. “So, what do you want to know?”

Waverly pauses for a moment, collecting all of her thoughts. “Why didn’t you _tell_ me?” her voice breaks, cracking under the emotions of the impending conversation. 

Wynonna looks down at the table in thought, before finally looking up to face her sister. Nicole strokes the back of Waverly’s hand with her thumb lightly, hoping the small act will be enough to send Waverly her support. She sees the small quirk of Waverly’s lips, and feels the light squeeze of her hand in response. 

“You were 11. And despite how young you were, you were no less stubborn than you are now. I knew if you knew I didn’t really do it, you would have done everything you could have to keep me out of jail, and you didn’t need to deal with any of that-”

“What I _needed_ was my sister, Wynonna.”

“I understand that now, okay? Look, I was stupid, and I was young, and I was… _scared_. All I was trying to do was look out for my family. Instead, I had to watch our older sister shoot and kill an innocent woman, who was also only thinking about her family. I didn’t know what to do and I panicked, especially when Willa ran off instead of coming back here.” Wynonna can feel the tears stinging behind her eyes. She clears her throat in an attempt to grasp some form of control over herself. 

Waverly’s eyes soften. As much as she wants to stay mad at her sister, she knows it’s a losing battle. There is no way she will be able to hold a grudge against her, not after everything they have been through together. She isn’t even sure she has the energy to try anymore. 

“Why tell Nicole the truth?” Waverly questions. Nicole can feel the pull in her heart at the dejection in the smaller girl’s voice. She wishes more than anything that there was something she could do to help her, to make her feel better after everything that has taken place in the last few days. However, realistically, she knows there’s nothing she can do. That’s just the way life is.

“She, uh, she kinda confronted me about it. Said she had figured it out,” Wynonna shrugs. 

Waverly looks over to Nicole, surprise evident on her features. “You did?” Waverly asks in awe. She doesn’t know if she is surprised by the fact that Nicole figured it all out by herself, or surprised that Nicole actually confronted her sister about it. 

The redhead shrugs nonchalantly, slightly shrinking under everybody’s gaze as a blush forms on her cheeks. She really hates being the center of attention. “Yeah, I, uh, I had some suspicions I wanted confirmed. Once I figured it out, I went to Wynonna and made her tell me the truth.”

She watches the look on Waverly’s face carefully, worried that she might get upset that Nicole didn’t go to her first. “And I made her not tell you,” Wynonna pipes up. She knows Waverly already knew that, but she just wants to remind her. Nicole shoots her a thankful side glance before returning her gaze to Waverly.

A slow smile forms on Waverly’s face. “Wow. I guess that means my girlfriend’s pretty smart, huh? Have you ever thought about being a detective? Detective Haught. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” Waverly jokes.

“Finally picked a smart one.” Wynonna winks at her sister momentarily before looking between the two with a quirked eyebrow. “Girlfriend?”

Waverly blushes, casting a sheepish look at her older sister. “Kind of.”

“Kind of?” Nicole questions. This time, it is Nicole’s turn to quirk an eyebrow at the younger Earp.

Waverly blushes. “I-I mean. If you want. I just didn’t want to assume anything and I-” She’s cut off by the feeling of soft lips on her cheek. Nicole pulls back and smiles softly at the loving look in the shining, hazel eyes in front of her. 

“You were right to assume, Waves,” Nicole whispers. 

Waverly’s face breaks out into a wide grin, and Nicole’s own smile matches it. The brunette giggles a little at the redhead and when someone clears their throat, she turns back around to face her sister and Doc. She had momentarily forgotten that her and Nicole are not the only two at the table.

Wynonna looks at her sister with hopeful eyes. “So…” she drags out the word, scared to ask the question on her mind. 

Waverly smiles softly, her heart full and warm after the small interaction with Nicole. The redhead typically has that effect on her. “I forgive you, Nonna.”

Wynonna’s eyes widen slightly, a small smile forming on her face. She doesn’t say anything, they both know she doesn’t have to. There is nothing left that needs to be said. Doc clears his throat from beside his girlfriend. “So now that we have all that settled, I think a night in could do us some good,” he drawls.

Waverly looks at him curiously. “What were you thinking?”

“Well, Nicole’s new around here, why don’t we all get to know each other a little better? How about dinner and a game?”

Wynonna slaps her hand on the table and snaps her fingers at the genius idea. “Yes! I can order a pizza and we can play Clue!”

Waverly turns to look at her, eyebrows raised skeptically. “You really think playing a game where one of us murdered someone and we have to figure out who, how, and where is a great idea? Really?”

Nicole snorts from beside her and brings a hand up to her mouth, looking over as Wynonna’s face pales dramatically in realization. “How about Monopoly?” Nicole suggests, standing from her seat and gesturing for Doc to help her find where the games would be. He nods in response and leads the way.

“I’ll be banker! Wynonna cheats when she does it,” Waverly calls out from her seat. 

“Do not!” Wynonna yells after them. Waverly shoots her a look of disbelief, so Wynonna sticks her tongue out at her like an actual child. The cheerleader rolls her eyes jokingly, smiling as she stands to go find her girlfriend. 

Girlfriend. Now _that_ is something she could get used to. 

She spots Nicole and Doc walking through the living room back to the kitchen, board game in hand. Nicole hands over the game to Doc. “Can you take this in there real quick?” Doc nods his head and takes the game, retreating back to the other room. Nicole smiles at Waverly and walks up to her, wrapping her arms around her waist and leaning their foreheads together. “Hey,” Nicole whispers.

Waverly smiles as she wraps her arms around the taller girl’s neck. “Hi,” she whispers back. They stay like that for a moment, taking in the feel of each other's comfort after the events of the day. 

“Are you okay?” Nicole murmurs, breaking the silence. Waverly nods slightly. The redhead places a light kiss to the tip of the brunette’s nose, causing a small smile to break out on her face. “Ahh there we go. That’s the smile I love to see.” Waverly blushes and looks down at the ground, her grin not leaving her face for even a second. 

“Flirt,” Waverly murmurs, burying her head in the crook of the redhead’s neck. 

Nicole laughs. “Maybe. But apparently you’re my girlfriend, so I think it’s okay,” she jokes back. 

Waverly looks up in slight panic. “Nicole, I’m _so_ sorry about that. I didn’t think she was going to ask that and I didn’t know what to say and I know we haven’t had time to talk about us yet and-”

Nicole cuts her off again like she did earlier, except this time she places a kiss to the shorter girl’s lips. Waverly moans lowly at the unexpected action. Nicole pulls away after a few seconds and rests their foreheads together again. She closes her eyes before speaking the first words that pop into her head. “Go on a date with me,” Nicole whispers, so quietly that Waverly almost doesn’t even hear her. 

“W-what?” Waverly stutters. She honestly just wants to make sure she heard her correctly. 

Nicole opens her eyes, looking into deep hazel pools swimming with hope. The look in Waverly’s eyes gives her all the courage she needs. “Go on a date. With me. Tomorrow. Please?” Nicole stammers. Smooth, Haught. So, _so_ smooth. 

Waverly beams. “Of course I will, you dork,” she laughs, pulling the girl down for another kiss. This one is a little more heated than the previous. 

“Paging the horny teens in the living room! The game’s ready and pizza’s on the way, so quit dry humping and get in here!” Wynonna calls from the kitchen. 

They break apart and Waverly rolls her eyes for the umpteenth time today. Leave it to her sister to be a prude all of a sudden. Nicole lets out a laugh and grabs for Waverly’s hand, leading her into the kitchen for family game night.

All Waverly can think of, besides the feeling of her hand in Nicole’s, is what the actual fuck is she supposed to wear to their first date tomorrow night?

* * *

When Waverly hears a knock at the front door the next day, she skips down the stairs and opens it. A kaleidoscope of butterflies take flight in her stomach when the door opens fully and she sees her girlfriend standing on her porch holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Hi, girlfriend.” Nicole smiles brightly at the brunette and extends the flowers to her.

“Hi, girlfriend.” Waverly swoons as she takes the flowers in her hands and brings them to her nose so she can smell them. After she gives the flowers a few seconds of attention, she lays them down on the table by the door and decides to give all her attention to her redhead. Waverly grips onto the front of Nicole’s flannel and tugs the girl closer to her. The brunette stands on her tip toes and places a kiss to the redhead’s soft lips, her hands immediately finding the back of Nicole’s neck. They trade kisses back and forth for a few minutes before Waverly pulls away, Nicole’s lips chasing hers after the loss of contact. “I’ll never get tired of that.”

“Oh, I sure as shit will,” Wynonna chimes in as she slams the refrigerator door shut. Nicole rolls her eyes as Waverly turns around to face her sister. The brunette steps back into the redhead and Nicole wraps an arm around the cheerleader’s waist to pull her closer. “Alright, Big Red. I think this is when I’m supposed to give you the speech.” Both Waverly and Nicole start to speak, but Wynonna just holds her hand up to stop them. “Nope. Let me speak.” The older brunette takes a swig of her beer before coming to stand in front of the new couple. “I’m the girl with the big ass gun, and I’m not afraid to use it. You hurt her, I kill you.” Wynonna lifts her shirt and reveals the silver gun tucked securely in her waistband.

Waverly can’t help the feeling of guilt that consumes her at the sight of the familiar gun. The one that she killed her sister with. Her body starts shaking at the sight of it and when Nicole feels the girl in her arms trembling, she clears her throat and spins Waverly around to face her. She knows the sight of the gun takes her back to the day she killed her sister and Nicole will always do anything she can to try and get the brunette’s mind off that dreadful day. The guilt and sadness that Nicole sees swirling in the beautiful hazel eyes in front of her breaks her heart.

“I would _never_ hurt her, Wynonna,” Nicole assures the older Earp before looking back down at her girlfriend. “Ready to go, baby?” Nicole leans in and places a kiss to the tip of the brunette’s nose. When Waverly nods, the redhead grabs her hand and leads her out the door. They vaguely hear Wynonna yell something along the lines of ‘don’t fuck in my truck’ after them and both of them just roll their eyes. “Your chariot awaits, princess.” When they get down the porch steps, Nicole lets go of Waverly’s hand and jogs to the truck. She opens the passenger side door and looks at her girlfriend, who hasn’t moved a step past the bottom of the stairs. Before Waverly can ask any questions, Nicole beats her to it. “Wynonna let me borrow it for the night. I wanted to give you the proper first date experience, so the bike just wouldn’t do.” The redhead shrugs and kicks some gravel with her shoe.

Waverly’s heart melts and she quickly closes the distance between them and pulls the redhead in for a bruising kiss. “God, you’re perfect.”

“Well my name’s actually Nicole, but thank you,” the redhead mumbles against her girlfriend’s lips. Waverly huffs out a laugh.

“Alright, _Nicky_ ,” Waverly smirks as she slides into the truck. Nicole leans in and wipes the smirk off of her girlfriend’s face with her lips.

“It’s _Nic_ to you, ma’am,” Nicole whispers when she pulls away. Waverly just laughs as the redhead closes the truck door and makes her way to the driver’s side.

When they arrive at their destination, Waverly swoons a bit. “Ah so _this_ is actually the reason you wanted to borrow the truck huh?” The brunette turns in her seat to face her girlfriend and watches fondly as Nicole concentrates on backing the truck into a parking spot in the grassy field.

“When I rode by last week and saw one of your favorite movies on the sign, I knew I had to bring you here.” Nicole flashes a dimpled grin in the cheerleader’s direction once the truck is in park. She turns the radio station to the one that will be playing the movie before turning the key back once so the motor goes off and the radio stays on. “And don’t worry, I brought lots of food and lots of blankets.”

“I really really love you,” Waverly sighs contentedly. Nicole leans across the console to kiss her.

“Say it again,” the redhead mumbles against her lips. Waverly smiles into the kiss.

“I love you,” the brunette repeats, and when the words roll off her tongue, Nicole’s lips are on hers again, kissing her hungrily.

So yeah, they probably won’t be watching much of the movie tonight, but that’s okay because Waverly has seen _The Notebook_ more times than she can count.

When Nicole pulls back, she quickly exits the truck and walks around to the passenger side. She opens the door for Waverly and then turns around. “Alright, hop on, spider monkey.” Waverly lets out a soft laugh before hopping out of the truck and jumping onto her girlfriend’s back. Nicole walks them both to the back of the truck and lays down the tailgate before turning around and sitting Waverly on top of it. “Okay, sit right there and let me grab the blankets and food.” Waverly watches fondly as her girlfriend spreads out the ten blankets that she brought over the bed of the truck. When the redhead sets the picnic basket in the middle of the blankets, she quickly scrambles to get under the blankets. “Okay, all finished. Come cuddle me, Waves.”

The brunette doesn’t have to be told twice. She crawls to where Nicole is holding the covers open for her and once she’s settled under them, she snuggles up to her girlfriend. They spend the first part of the movie eating the vegan pizza Nicole brought and once they are finished eating, they lay back down and alternate between watching the movie and sharing kisses. When Nicole hears the brunette start sniffling, she abruptly crawls to the end of the truck bed and hops off. Even though Nicole knows she’s just crying over the movie, she still absolutely hates to see her girlfriend cry. It tugs at her heartstrings and makes her want to do whatever it takes to put a smile back on the brunette’s face. Waverly watches in confusion as her girlfriend hops off the truck and extends her hand out to her.

“Dance with me,” the redhead whispers, just loud enough for Waverly to hear. She doesn’t want to disturb the other people while they are watching the movie.

“You’re always keeping me on my toes, Haught.” Waverly rolls her eyes playfully as she scoots down to the end of the truck. Before she can hop off, Nicole scoops her up in her arms and carries her to the side of the truck. Waverly yelps and wraps her arms around the redhead’s neck. After Nicole looks around to make sure that they won’t be blocking anyone’s view, she sets the brunette back down on her feet. “Always sweeping me off my feet too.”

Nicole grabs one of Waverly’s hands and wraps it around her neck and then places the other over her heart. “Always making my heart beat right out of my goddamn chest,” the redhead whispers. Once she’s made her point, she takes the tan hand back in her own and wraps the other around the brunette’s waist. Neither of them are sure how much time passes, but they just continue to stay wrapped up in each other as they sway back and forth. Nicole will occasionally twirl the brunette and then dip her just because she can’t get enough of the little giggle that escapes Waverly’s lips every time she does it.

“Thank you for practicing with me,” Nicole whispers into the brunette’s ear. A few seconds later, Waverly pulls back and looks up at her curiously.

“Practicing for what exactly?” Waverly furrows her eyebrows and Nicole leans in and places a kiss in between them.

“For the winter formal of course,” the redhead whispers as she trails her lips down the bridge of Waverly’s nose before attaching them to her lips.

“Is this you asking me to the winter formal?” The brunette leans back and looks up at her girlfriend, a wide smile on her face and hope swimming in her hazel eyes.

“Is this you saying yes?” Nicole cradles the cheerleader’s face in her hands and searches her eyes for an answer.

“Yes.” Waverly nuzzles her head into Nicole’s warm hands and a smile overtakes the redhead’s face at the brunette’s reply.

“Yeah?” Nicole asks, her thumbs rubbing back and forth across the soft skin under them.

“Yes, I’ll go to the dance with you, you big softie.” Waverly’s moon eyes make an appearance and Nicole knows she’s the absolute luckiest human being on Earth. 

Because most people only see one moon every night, but if Nicole keeps the promise she made to herself and always keeps a smile on her girlfriend’s angelic face, she gets to see three.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So I (Sydney) will be on the fanfic panel for Ghost River Triangle Con! It's at 2pm EST on twitch, and I would love to know if you guys have any questions for us or anything! I love hearing your feedback, and hope to see you guys there!
> 
> Let us know what you think in the comments, and please leave a kudos if you enjoyed!  
> Also, follow us on twitter for updates and teasers ;)  
> @sydthekid41319  
> @ddamaged_


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